Heroes For Hire: The Final Case
by capyle
Summary: The final chapter of the Heroes for Hire "movie series". Based on The Seven Samurai. A group of supervillains have taken over a small nation. Meanwhile, a newly expanded Heroes For Hire is hired to stop them. Who are these new allies? More importantly, who will survive this final case?
1. Chapter 1

**Five Years Ago**

A beautiful woman in a flower dress walks down a hallway and as she nears a door, she turns back slightly, showing the face of Raina. "Right through here," she says with a small, leading two figures through a door. They pass a logo on the wall that reads CYBERTEK, "You'll be one of our very first clients. I hope you appreciate how monumental this is." There are two men following her, but they don't respond. The first is a man in his early forties; he is Caucasian, well built, has a military haircut, and he has a prosthetic right arm. His associate is a Hispanic man and is roughly the same age. He is well dressed in a business suit while the military man is in a simple jacket over a turtle-neck. Raina leads them through the door where they enter a meeting room. Along the walls of the rooms are medical illustrations of men and women with mechanical implants and artificial limbs. At the table, there is a slightly younger man in a lab coat with glasses.

"Gideon Mace is here, Dr Lavell," Raina tells him before turning to leave.

"Thank you, Raina," he stands to his feet and shakes the hand of the military man, "A pleasure to meet you gentlemen."

"My name's Edward Lavell," the scientist explains, "I'll be overseeing your procedure."

"Gideon Mace," he motions toward himself and then to the other man, "This is my business partner, Ramon Garcia."

"Right, I believe Mr. Garcia referred you to us."

"He said you could give me a new arm," Gideon lays his prosthetic arm on the desk.

"Sure. I hope Mr. Garcia explained to you that Cybertek offers a service that is still in the experimental stages. You are honestly my first human patient. We cannot guarantee complete success, you understand."

"I'm aware of the possible consequences," he states plainly, "I've read up on cybernetic implants. I know the dangers... and I know the potentials."

"Ah, good. In addition, we prefer to remain... uh,..."

"Anonymous?"

"We're not exactly advertising at the moment, as I'm sure you've realized. Your cooperation is appreciated."

"There's a reason why I'm coming to you. I want anonymity just as much as you do right now. I understand you can do a little more than just give me a better prosthetic."

"Yes, uh, Mr. Garcia made it very clear to us what you wanted. To do that, we would not only build a new cybernetic limb, but in order to have the amount of um... mobility you desire,... we would need to create a series of implants throughout your skeletal structure to support the added strength."

"Superb. How long will the process be?"

"All together, with the surgeries, recovery time, and therapy sessions, it will be a little over a year."

"I understand the payment needs to be in cash?"

"Yes, please."

Garcia sits a briefcase on the desk, "You can count it if you like."

"No need. We'll leave it with Raina. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?"

Gideon smiles slightly, "You're really young to be working at a secret research facility, you know that? Usually, a place like this would employ people who have been in the business longer."

"I uh, was fired from my previous job, to be honest. Not for incompetence, mind you. I just conducted experiments some considered unethical."

"This place seems okay with unethical practices."

"I wouldn't know. Honestly, they keep a lot of things secret, even from me and the other scientists here."

"Why do you work here?"

Lavell drops his guard and becomes more chipper, "I'm interested in cybernetics and the achievements they can produce."

"I guess I am too, in a way," Gideon also suddenly appears more friendly, "Do you plan to work here for the foreseeable future?"

"There's not exactly a retirement plan here, obviously. I could branch off if the opportunity arises."

"Retirement issues aside, do you have any problems working here at the moment?"

"Well," he leans in, "They mentioned this thing called the Centipede Project. I'm not too keen on it."

"For... ethical reasons?"

"No, I just don't think it's feasible."

"I only ask because Garcia and I have plans of our own. Some might consider them unethical as well. We could use a smart guy like you who has the proper focus. A man who doesn't let certain social rules get in the way of achieving his goals."

"Well, that is generous. Obviously, I can't say yes or no at the moment."

"Of course. It's just a friendly chat," Gideon stands up and shakes his hand, "Besides, we'll have plenty of time to talk further over the next year."

 **HEROES FOR HIRE: THE FINAL CASE**

It's a year later. Gideon steps out of a nondescript building. His hair is longer now and he wears a dark coat. He hass gloves over both hands but as he places a cigarette in his mouth and lights it, it's obvious his new prosthetic arm functions very well. At the end of the steps below, Garcia waits with a car behind him. There, he also see a large black man in a leather jacket and a young white woman in a tight dress. He smiles at the group and makes his way to the steps giving Garcia a hug first.

"Ramon Garcia, how the hell have you been?"

"How's the arm?," Garcia asks happily.

"Better than expected."

The young woman walks up to them and places an arm around Garcia, "Let's see it, Mace."

Gideon pulls the glove back, revealing metal, "Not bad, huh?"

"Nice. I might have to get one or two of my own."

"Celia, you have enough implants," Garcia laughs, only to get a punch in the shoulder from her.

"Hey, Gideon," the black man calls out in a Caribbean accent and nods toward the steps, "Is he coming with us?"

The group turns to see Dr. Lavell at the top of the steps, nervously looking at them.

"Dr. Lavell just quit his job," Gideon explains, "He'll be working with us now."

"So you convinced him?," Garcia whispers.

"Of course I did." he whispers back.

Lavell makes his way down the steps shyly.

"Edward, you've already met Ramon Garcia," Gideon explains and motions toward the woman, "This lovely young lady is Celia Ricadonna," and then motions toward the man by the car, "And that talkative guy over there, we just call Hardcore."

"Nice to meet everyone," he says to the group.

Gideon places a hand on his shoulder, "Congratulations, Doctor. You've just become a part of something bigger."


	2. Chapter 2

**Present Day**

An middle aged African American man walks through a warehouse, using a cane, which has a metal snake engraving at the top. His clothes are sharp and expensive. This is Cornell Cottonmouth. On either side of him are two long tables where women produce meth while wearing masks and protective gloves. Several men with guns stand watch. "The shipment goes out tonight," he announces to the room, "Make it fast. We ain't wait'n."

One of the men approaches Cottonmouth, "Cornell, there's a problem. The Golden Dragons were supposed to contact us when they left Chinatown. We haven't heard from them."

"So call their asses and see what's up."

"We did. No answer. They're supposed to be on their way here right now. Should we wait?"

"No, we're gett'n the hell out of here," he turns to his workers, "Yo everybody! We got a change of plans! Pack it up! The cops are on the way!"

"Not just the cops," a voice can be heard from a dark doorway nearby. Cottonmouth turns as Luke Cage emerges from the shadows, "Say the name."

"Luke Cage," Cottonmouth pulls a gun from his jacket.

"That's right."

Cottonmouth and his men open fire, the bullets ricocheting off Cage's chest as he absorbs the barrage. Just then, another figure leaps through a nearby window, drawing their attention briefly. The figure rolls along the floor, then bounces up into a 360 degree spin kick, taking out two men before finally landing on his feet. Danny Rand stands in a fighting stance, now wearing his new white costume.

"Always gotta make a better entrance," Cage says under his breath as he swats a gunman into a stack of crates.

The women take the opportunity to make a run for the doors, but Cottonmouth manages to grab one girl as she runs past, "Come `ere!" and holds his gun against her. Meanwhile, his men turn their sites on Danny and open fire. He leaps on top of one table and runs across as they blast the supply. He makes his way to the end of the table and flips off, delivering a dragon kick to another gunman, throwing him into the wall. Cage snatches the end of the table with one hand and swings it around, taking the remaining gunman out. Then he turns, snatching two men by their collars and hefts them overhead before bringing them down on top of the second table, collapsing it. Danny leaps into a somersault kick, finishing the last gunman before turning to Cottonmouth.

"Now, you just stay right there!," he shouts as he holds his gun against the young woman in his clutches. Luke and Danny stay back as he backs away to a wall.

"You're Cottonmouth, right?," Cage asks as Danny silently stays behind.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Okay, then you're the man in charge right now. As the man in charge, you should know how to assess the situation we're in."

Danny says nothing as he stops next to a wall and examines it.

"I know the damn situation. So long as I got her, you boys are just gonna have to do what I say. And I say, step aside and let me walk outta here."

Luke turns to Danny, "What do you think, man?"

Danny takes a look at the wall next to him and turns his gaze to the ceiling directly over Cottonmouth's head, "He's got nothing."

"Hear that? My friend says you got nothing."

"That a fact?," Cottonmouth cocks the hammer of his gun back, "Because from where I'm standing -"

Danny clenches his hand, summoning the Iron Fist. He turns and slams it into the wall next to him, putting a hole right through it, which sends a spider web of cracks along the surface. Cottonmouth looks up curiously as a section of the roof falls. A second later, he is knocked out by falling debris and the girl is safe. "Nice," Cage tells him. "Thanks," he answers back.

Later, Cage and Danny meet on a nearby roof and watch as police officers take Cottonmouth and his men away. Danny now has his mask off as they speak to one another.

"Not too bad, huh?," Luke asks Danny, "It's too bad Colleen and Misty weren't here. They would've loved to have seen some action."

"Probably," Danny agrees, "They start tomorrow and there aren't any major cases lined up. It'll probably be pretty boring for them at first."

"Your friend Hogarth is joining up tomorrow too, isn't he?"

"That's the plan."

"I'm looking forward to meeting the guy."

"You seem to be coming around to the idea of expanding Heroes for Hire."

"Yeah, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I'm off parole now and Jess has gotten passed what happened with Killgrave. We're not getting held down by issues."

"I know the feeling."

"Yeah man, I guess we're both moving on from our pasts. You're finished too. All that stuff with the Eight Circles of Hell or whatever?"

"Eight Cities of Heaven," Danny corrects him, "And yes, it's all finished," he looks off into the distance, "The war is over, old enemies are dead and for once, no one is out there wanting to kill me."

"That's always a good thing."

"Yeah, it is," Danny seems somewhat disappointed.

"Anyway, things are going good all around, so I think it's time to step it up," he reaches into his pocket, "That's why I'm getting this."

Danny looks down and notices an ad for a wedding ring on Luke's phone.

"A ring?"

"I've been saving up to buy one, yeah."

Danny smiles brightly, "You're going to propose to Jessica?"

"Yeah, but keep it on the DL, though. I haven't asked yet. I wanna buy the ring first."

"C'mere," Danny wraps his arms around Cage tightly.

"I thought you might like that," they walk away, "Come on. We got a big day tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3

Brandy is poured into a glass just before a metallic hand takes it. Gideon is wearing a button-down shirt and blazer, but his prosthetic hand is uncovered as he holds his glass high and turns to Garcia, Riccadonna, Hardcore, and Lavell who have glasses of their own and stand in a cabin, which is small, but furnished.

"Friends," Gideon begins, "As you know, I try to act out of the best interest of those around me. I try to be selfless. That was why I joined the military all those years ago. Because I thought I was acting out of the best interest of my country. I was naive enough at the time to think my government likewise, was acting out of the best interest of its people. Even after I lost my arm, I still maintained I was doing right by my country. I became a colonel. Sure, I was aware of the politics of the military, but I served and I served proudly. My men loved me and I loved them. We were deployed to a certain region and I soon became increasingly aware that we were doing little more than guarding oil wells for corporations back home. They were looking out for their own interests, of course, but I still did what I was told. After a while, my men realized that in the small village nearby, soldiers were brutalizing citizens, forcing women and children into captivity and killing anyone who raised their voices. At first, I thought they were insurgents, but I soon learned, these atrocities were being carried out by local authorities that were in the employ of an ally of the good `ol USA. Anytime I raised these concerns to top brass, I was told to put it out of mind. You see, protecting the people in that region was not in the best interest of my country. I disobeyed orders, I saved lives, and I was then dishonorably discharged for doing what was right. I haven't had any regrets since. Instead, I have continued on my path of what's in the best interest of others," he brings the glass up to his lips, "To the revolution." He takes a sip and likewise, his friends repeat the phrase, "To the revolution," and drink as well. Over their shoulders, a single window can be visible. Outside the windows are a row of mountains in the distance. A closer look beyond those mountains show tents and more cabins with several men milling about. The men are mostly in fatigues and carry weapons. Several crates of guns and ammunition are stacked on top of one another. And just beyond this camp, a tank sits quietly.

The new Heroes for Hire Headquarters is a two story complex with a HFH logo on the annex. Cage and Jessica approach it on the street with Jessica admiring the new additions, "The new place looks great."

"Yeah, Danny spared no expense."

"He's really getting excited about expanding the business."

"You have no idea."

Inside, the office has been greatly expanded to include more work spaces and contains a conference area with a table built with a holographic projector. Cage and Jessica enter the front doors. "This looks great, Danny," Jessica exclaims as Danny comes out from around his desk. "Thanks, Jess," he gives Jessica a kiss on the cheek. Colleen Wing and Misty Knight emerge from a nearby cubicle with wide grins.

"Hey, Jess," Colleen gives her a hug.

"Did they give you a day off?," Misty hugs her next.

"Actually, I quit The Pulse," she tells them.

"What? Really?," Colleen exclaims.

"It was time I took a break and clear my head. So are you liking the job so far?"

"Can't complain," Misty wraps an arm around Danny, "But don't tell anyone I'm sleeping with the boss."

"Now that you're here, Luke, I can introduce Mr. Hogarth to you," Danny tells Cage.

Jeryn Hogarth enters the room, "Speak of the devil," he shakes Luke's hand, "Mr. Cage. A pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure meeting you, too."

"Luke, this is Jeryn Hogarth," Danny introduces him, "He's starting today as our new PR rep and head of legal."

"We'll probably need a good lawyer with the amount of stuff you break," Colleen tells Cage jokingly, but he gives her an annoyed look.

"Danny has had a lot of good things to say about you," he tells Hogarth.

"Well, if they're good things, then it's all true," Hogarth says with a wry smile.

"This man is the reason why my family's business is still called Rand Corps," Danny explains, "He's a genius. The company can benefit from someone like him."

"Like I said... all true."

Danny leads Jessica and Hogarth away, "Hey Jessica, you want a tour of the new place?"

"I'd love one."

An aerial view of a massive crater appears in a news broadcast. A female journalist can be heard over the footage, "This large crater is all that's left of the capital city of Sokovia. Months ago, this nation saw one of the most devastating superhuman battles in years." The footage switches to a clean up crew removing debris from badly damaged streets. They pile the rubble into the back of trucks and one worker throws a robotic head on top of the rubble. "While supporters say the Avengers eliminated a potential threat, critics ask 'At what cost'? It is speculated that world leaders will soon meet at the UN to discuss possible legislation dealing with enhanced individuals." The footage switches to a live feed of the reporter walking through a street in Sokovia. "Meanwhile, the people of Sokovia struggle to rebuild their nation," the cameraman follows as she continues, "Their capital has been relocated and the prime minister is facing a divided country that has had a history of civil unrest. This is a nation that was roughly twice the size of the city of New York and is now even smaller. It is unlikely they'll be able to -"

The journalist is interrupted by the sound of a nearby explosion. Smoke fills a section of the street as people scatter. The cameraman only captures a brief glimpse of the panic before he and the reporter sprint in the opposite direction. As the smoke settles, a tank begins to slowly emerge.

The people of Sokovia flee as the tank runs over rubble. Several men in fatigues, carrying automatic weapons follow the tank in formation. Nearby, Sokovian authorities rush out of a small base as a siren blares. They load weapons and leap into jeeps before taking off in the direction of the attacks. A moment later, a shot is fired from the tank, destroying a portion of the city street and overturning a jeep. Some of the terrorists set off mortars, which explode around the rest of the jeeps. This is followed by smoke bombs being launched at the soldiers, making it harder for them to see. The jeeps stop and the soldiers get out, ready to fight on the ground. Hardcore emerges from the smoke along with his men on foot. He drops a blade from his hand, which dangles by a chain. He grins madly as he twirls the kusarigama over his head, the whips it into the faces of oncoming soldiers. His men open fire, forcing them to retreat while Hardcore attacks the few who remain. They fire a few shots, but he rolls along the ground and when he springs to his feet, he throws one of them to the ground with an uppercut. He spins into a roundhouse, taking down the one behind him. A soldier comes at him with a machete, but he side steps, wraps the chain around the man's neck and drags him to the ground. Once he has the man at his mercy, he twists the chain and there's an audible snapping sound.

The tank comes to a stop in the middle of the street as the terrorists sweep the area for any remaining enemies. It is eerily quite as the hatch opens. Gideon Mace rises and sits calmly on top of the tank, satisfied with what he sees. There are scattered gunshots in the distance as the fighting continues. Hardcore approaches him as he cleans off his blade. "Not a bad start, huh?," Gideon asks him gleefully. Hardcore nods in approval.


	4. Chapter 4

Several minutes later, Gideon's men round up the few remaining soldiers in the area and load them into a truck. A car pulls up, pushing dust as it comes to a stop. Garcia, Riccadonna, and Lavell emerge along with bodyguards. Hardcore and Gideon are already there.

"So what do you think?," Gideon asks.

"I expected a stronger resistance," Garcia responds.

"Oh, they will, Ramon. Believe me, they will. We control this block for now. We'll fortify ourselves here for the night. Chances are, they'll come back within the next ten hours and then we'll have a helluva fight."

"Remind me again," Riccadonna removes her sunglasses and looks off into the distance, "Why did we choose this location to begin? We're far from any major target from the looks of things."

"Not really," Gideon takes out a map and points to a dotted area, "The technological institute is nearby."

Lavell speaks up, "I can use the equipment there to finish your procedure."

Riccadonna pulls up her sleeve to reveal surgical scars and stitches along her arm, "It's about time."

Back in New York, it's night time. The team sits in a meeting room with Hogarth at the head of the table. "So the first order of business is expanding the team," he tells them.

"Even more?," Luke asks with wide eyes.

"We have a few prospects," Danny explains, "Nothing is final, but Jeryn and I have found two or three potential new members.

"One of them is an old childhood friend of mine," Colleen says with a wide smile, "He's a retired agent and probably the best fighter I've ever seen," she turns to Danny, "No offense, Danny."

"None taken."

"Also, Colleen has a mad crush on the guy," Misty chuckles.

"What, are we in grade school all of a sudden?," she rolls her eyes at Misty, "Anyway, he's in New York these days, so I thought it'd be worth it to give him a call."

"She's looking for an excuse to talk to him," Misty butts in again.

"Okay, seriously!," Colleen exclaims with exasperation.

Jessica checks her phone and raises a single hand to the others, "Um, sorry to interrupt the meeting but did you guys hear about this?," she shows her phone to them. The screen shows shaky footage of people running and billowing smoke with screams and explosions in the background. "This is amateur footage taken earlier today of a militant group in the nation of Sokovia," a journalist begins, "There is no word yet on what group is responsible for these attacks or what they want."

"Sokovia," Misty mutters, "That's been a hotspot lately."

"Yeah, the Avengers were there," Luke explains, "An entire city was destroyed."

"Those people are enhanced, just like us, I would think they would have done a better job at making sure there was something left. Y'know, in case some of their enemies attack them while they're weak."

"I'm sure they did all they could," Danny answers.

"I'm not so sure," Misty states cryptically.

The current Sokovia Capital is a literal fortress. It is a large military base with tanks and several armed men stationed outside. Inside, the Prime Minister is led through the halls by his security staff. "This way, Prime Minister," a guard tells him as he opens the door for them and motions for him to hurry. The Prime Minister is taken down a long flight of stairs; a the foot, a guard punches in a key code and a vault opens, leading to a long hall and another door, which close behind him as he's led inside.

In the bunker, the Prime Minister meets the top brass of his military and several heads of state. The spacious room is stocked with several view screens of the surrounding area, a circular meeting table, and stockpiles of weapons, supplies, and canned food. "Prime Minister," the generals stand and salute, but he brushes them off.

"Don't bother," he groans, "This is no time for formalities. I want to know what's happening out there."

"Our intelligence has ruled out the possibility of HYDRA," one of his men informs him, "The insurgents don't appear to be Sokovian, so it isn't a civil war."

"Then what the hell is it?," the Prime Minister asks.

"We don't know, but they are heavily armed and there's a rumor some of them might be enhanced."

"That's all we need. More freaks of nature blowing up our cities," he sits down in a chair, "Is everyone present and accounted for here?"

"Parliament is here and most of the top brass is here as well," an adviser informs him, "The rest of our military is still out there, fighting."

"What about our citizens?"

"There have been very few civilian deaths reported," another man explains.

"Have you begun evacuations?"

"Yes, Prime Minister. We've been trying to evacuate our people to our designated Safety Zones. Many have opted to ignore our requests."

"Where are they going, then?"

"They seem to be crossing the borders into neighboring countries."

"Those countries will be hit with refugees. They won't care to help us. They'll be more concerned with keeping our people out," he turns to a short, balding man across the room, "Anton, you're the Defense Minister. What can you tell us? Have you contacted the UN?"

"I did," Anton informs him, "They're currently trying to solve the Superhuman Crisis. I think they have other concerns at the moment. If we're doing away with formalities, sir,... I think we're screwed."

"Then it's time we get some outside help."

"Who?," one of the heads of state asks, "Our neighbors will be reluctant to help unless these people attack them directly. Other nations will likewise be reluctant to help due international politics."

"If some of these terrorists are enhanced, we need a significant amount of power to thwart them," the Prime Minister answers back.

"Last time we had the Avengers, they blew up our capital," Anton grumbles.

"What do you recommend?"

Anton thinks for a moment, "Well, there is another team of enhanced people in America. The Heroes for Hire."

"Ah, yes. Luke Cage and his partner... the one who keeps a low profile. Where are they?"

"New York, sir. I've heard they just designed a new headquarters."

"We're trading one group of freaks for another," one of the generals seems offended at the idea of asking for their help.

"There are fewer of them and they don't have the Hulk," the Prime Minister explains, "They might be just enough to help us without causing more damage. God knows we've seen enough bloodshed this year."

"If we we're to do this, someone would likely have to contact them directly," Anton explains, "That might be hard to do."

"But not impossible," the Prime Minister admits, "These terrorists have not made it to this part of the country yet. We have civilians already making it across the border. We could send someone through the crowd, undetected. From there, they could make it to New York."

"Which one of us is going to go back out there?"

The Prime Minister turns back to the Defense Minister, "Anton, do you think you could make it?"

"Me, sir?"

"Out of everyone here, you seem to know the most about these Heroes For Hire."

"Sir,... I have a very rough idea of..."

"Besides, you would have diplomatic immunity, which might come in handy."

"Certainly, sir, but..."

He thinks for a moment, "Someone contact our Embassy over there. Tell them we're sending Anton, but keep it quiet."

"I can't believe we're really doing this," Anton says to himself.

"Your idea," the Prime Minister states proudly.

"I should have kept it to myself," Anton groans under his breath.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Sokovia/Czech Republic Border**

There is a barb-wire fence with guards standing on the other side as Sokovian citizens plead with them to be let through. Nearby, several lines of cars go through checkpoints. Anton pulls up to one checkpoint and the officer inside the booth wearily opens his window, "We are letting no one into our country without proper papers and..."

He's cut off when Anton shows his government ID, "I'm the Defense Minister of Sokovia, here on official business."

The border officer looks at his official ID badge and back at him curiously, "Sir, if you're here on official business, then why not..."

He is cut off again by an exasperated Anton, "There is a large sum of money in it for you if you ask no more questions and get me on my way as quickly as possible."

The officer gives him an interested look and a moment later, Anton is across the border.

Back in Sokovia, Gideon and his men are camped out in a forest. Gideon looks over a map with Hardcore and Garcia at his side. Gideon draws his finger across the map to a red x, explaining the situation as he does so, "We haven't had must resistance today, which tells me Sokovian forces have retreated back to the capital. They know where we're headed."

"From what the scouts told me, there's an outpost nearby," Garcia warns, "They might be luring us in so they can blindside us."

"Good call," Gideon turns to Hardcore, "If I sneak you and a platoon over there, do you think you can handle it?"

"I'm sure of it," Hardcore tells him with a wicked smile.

"Don't bother," Riccadonna tells them as she approaches with Lavell beside her, "It's taken care of."

Gideon eyes her, "What do you mean it's taken care of? Where have you been?"

"Sorry, I couldn't stop her," Lavell states meekly.

"Lavell finished my enhancements earlier today," Ricadonna pulls up her sleeves to reveal oddly smooth skin, void of the scars and bandages that once ran up her limbs, "It's a nice paint job. They aren't as clunky and drab as your prosthetic."

"What the hell did she do?," Gideon turns to Garcia, intensely annoyed.

"You're upsetting Mr. Gideon," Garcia tells her with a smile as he moves in and puts his arms around her, "Just tell the man what happened, Ricadonna."

"I decided to test myself and see how powerful I am," she lovingly places her arms around Garcia, "I took down that entire outpost before they knew what hit `em," then she kisses Garcia.

"Nothing gets done without my say-so," Gideon snaps.

"Relax. We have one less obstacle in our path now," she tells him while rolling her eyes, "We'll be able to take the capital in no time."

"Don't break rank again," he points a finger in her face.

She mockingly salutes him and saunters off.

 **Sokovian Embassy, Czech Republic**

The Ambassador is on the phone while seated in his office, a worried look across his face. Bodyguards allow Anton to enter the room and he quickly hangs up and rises to his feet.

"Anton, what the hell is happening over there."

"I'm not entirely sure myself," Anton shakes his hand and sits down, "The Prime Minister and Parliament are safe for the moment. The UN is still deliberating so we can't count on foreign aid at the moment, but there is a plan."

"Plans are always a good thing. Tell me."

"Just keep in mind, I wasn't the one who came up with this plan... Well, not purposefully anyway."

"I don't care, just tell me what it is."

"First of all, I'm traveling incognito. I'll need a fake passport and a plane ticket."

"I can arrange that. Where the hell are you going?"

"To the US."

Back in Sokovia, soldiers bravely stand at the base of the Sokovian capital building, firing automatic weapons. Gideon's men duck behind armored vehicles or makeshift barricades and return fire. Sokovian guards hop on to the back of military jeeps and open fire with mounted guns, which scatters Gideon's forces. They set off mortars, which further drives them back as they blast holes through the streets, forcing them to dive behind iron fences and retreat back to the city. Hardcore leaps onto the steps of the capital after having snuck behind enemy lines; he swings his chain-weapon overhead, taking out the few soldiers at the top of the steps. Their bodies tumble down as he races past them to the armored jeeps below and he is soon jumping onto the back of one jeep where he begins strangling the gunner with the chain. The driver leaps out of the passenger side, pistol drawn, but Hardcore flips overhead, lands behind him, and stabs him with his blade. Another armored jeep arrives on the scene with the gunner taking aim at Hardcore. Riccadonna leaps through the air, clearing several feet as she lands directly in the path of the jeep. The gunner turns his attention to her, but she slams both fists into the front of the jeep, caving it in with a massive blow. The impact of the assault knocks the gunner off the jeep where he rolls off the back and hits the ground; as he picks himself up, Riccadonna delivers an uppercut which sends him into the air. To finish it off, Riccadonna grasps the side of the jeep, strains, and gradually tips it on its side. Gideon's tank arrives on the scene, crushing debris as the treads move along the rubble. The guards at the top of the steps perk up as they see the approaching tank and their eyes widen when they notice the cannon pointing at them. They dart out of the way as the tank fires off a shot, which blasts the front doors of the capital. Inside, more guards are thrown across the room from the explosion.

Soon, Gideon enters the smoke-filled room, followed by Riccadonna, Hardcore, and several of his men. Guards swarm into the hallway and open fire, so he and his men dive for cover. "Give `im Hell!," Gideon shouts as he launches off the floor, clears the distance while avoiding gunfire and sends the first guard flying down the hall with a punch from his metal arm. He turns, swatting another one hard enough to send him head over heels and shoots the others with his rifle. They make their way from there.

Inside the bunker below, the Prime Minister and the rest of the government officials listen to the battle above as it draws closer.


	6. Chapter 6

Hogarth sits at his desk, staring at his computer screen. Danny comes in, sipping a cup of coffee. "Danny," Hogarth nods to him slightly but never taking his eyes off the screen. "You're here even earlier than me today, Hogarth, what's up?," Danny asks. Hogarth turns to him, "I just received a distressing email last night so I got here as early as possible. I've been in correspondence ever since." Danny gives him a curious look, but lets him finish. "I've been speaking to the Defense Minister of Sokovia," Hogarth tells him, "He wants our help."

The Prime Minister and his officials remain in their bunker. There is sporadic gunfire that slowly fades away, then nothing. They wait in silence for a few moments, no one daring to breath a word. All is quiet until they hear a muffled explosion that shakes the bunker and makes the lights flicker. They stir in alarm, but they still say nothing. The intercom on the wall sputters to life and a black and white, static-filled image emerges. Gideon Mace stares into a camera on the other side of a large vault door, "Hello, is there anyone in there?". The Prime Minister rises to his feet and straightens his suit. One of his advisers begins to protest, but he raises a hand to silence him. He walks over to the intercom and presses the button for the speaker, "I am the Prime Minister of this country. I am here with my advisers, most heads of state, and top military personnel. We are very much alive and not planing on surrendering anytime soon. Now that you know who we are, perhaps you can tell us who you are."

"My name is Gideon Mace," he says politely into the camera, "First of all, I would like to extend my apologies. I have nothing personal against you or your people. Secondly, as you have probably guessed, my forces have taken your capital and neutralized what is left of your military."

"You aren't Sokovian, are you?"

"Certainly not. Nor am I affiliated with any of your enemies."

"Then why have you decided to attack us?"

"I'll be honest, the only reason I'm here is that your nation was an easy target and I took advantage of the situation to make a statement."

"Make a statement?," the Prime Minister nearly raises his voice, "What sort of statement is this? You have killed an untold number of people and are attempting to over throw a sovereign nation."

"I didn't overthrow a nation. You never had any power, you only had the illusion of power."

"I see, so... now what happens? What do you want with us?"

"Nothing. I could blast this door down and have my men assassinate everyone inside, but that's not what I came here to do. I will not be taking any more action against you... provided you remain in that bunker."

"I don't think we have much of a choice."

"We all have choices to make, Prime Minister," with that, Gideon turns off the camera.

Back in New York, Colleen rushes into the Heroes For Hire headquarters and runs to the meeting area where the rest of the team and Jessica are already gathered, "I came as quickly as I could," she tells the group, "What's going on?". Hogarth stands up and motions to Anton who sits next to him, "Everyone, this is Anton Rubinov. He is the Defense Minister of Sokovia and is here incognito," he turns to him, "I'm sorry, maybe you'd like to say this in your own words."

"I appreciate it," Anton rises, "You're all aware of what is happening in my country right now. My Prime Minister has sent me here specifically to ask you for help because, quite frankly, no one else is willing. Our country needs powerful individuals who are willing to remove the threat that is currently taking over my nation. We have no idea who they are or what they currently want. I have brought some money, but I've no idea if it's enough. It's all we have and currently, you are our only hope."

"That's why I wanted to call this emergency meeting," Hogarth tells them, "If we go to Sokovia, we would be acting independently of the United States as the country has not authorized any actions so far. If we are killed, there will likely be no retaliation. If we are captured, they have no obligations to come get us. If we go in, we are on our own. I can't say yes or no to this. I figured we could put this to a vote."

"I say go for it!," Misty speaks up first, "We have the powers and the ability to do some good. We owe it to the Sokovians to help them out."

"I'm not entirely sure we should do this," Cage begins, "People like us, people with powers and stuff, we're not exactly in the public's favor at the moment. The Avengers were in Sokovia already, right? You saw what happened there and the fallout after that. Do we really want to put ourselves in that position?"

"It's our job to put ourselves in dangerous situations," Danny explains, "This was never meant to be a cushiony job. We all knew what we were signing up for."

"But is it even our place to go into situations like this?," Colleen asks.

"I don't think it is," Cage answers.

"Hogarth, what do you think?," Misty asks.

"Legally, we're in the clear, as the US government has chosen to disavow us" he tells them, "Ethically, I can't exactly say. It's up to you guys, really. You will be the ones dealing with any repercussions."

"So it's two for and two against," Danny tells the group, "Jess, what do you make of all this?"

"Hey, I'm not on the team," she tells him defensively, "I... I'd rather just stay out of it. Like Mr. Hogarth said, I wouldn't be dealing with the repercussions."

"What if I hired you?," Danny asks.

"What?," Cage interjects.

"Hypothetically. As an investigator for Heroes for Hire. If I gave you the task of gathering information, thus giving you some say in the matter, what would be your vote?"

"Well,... I think that if no one else is helping these people, and as powerful as you guys are, it's worth going over there."

"You're not concerned?," Cage asks.

"I've seen some of the people you guys have taken down. Some radicals with guns shouldn't be a problem, so no."

"So, could this be a tie breaker?," Danny asks.

"It's not like Jess is on the team," Cage states.

"I could be," she says with a smile, "Danny just asked me to gather information."

"Yeah, but..."

"No, I think I can do this," she says confidently, "I... I think I need this."

"What, being a Hero for Hire?"

"Being an investigator," she puts her arms around Cage, "Honestly, I've been cooped up too long in the house. That's why I keep showing up at the office. I gotta do something."

"Take a hobby," Cage tells her, "Take painting lessons or something."

"I was an investigative journalist for years. Being a private investigator is not much different."

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'll be out of danger, I promise."

"So I guess that's the deciding vote," Colleen says, "If the rest of the team is in, I'm in."

"If it's what you want," Cage tells Jessica.

"It's what I want," she hugs him. Cage hugs back but looks distressed.


	7. Chapter 7

"We'll get Jessica on the payroll later," Hogarth tells the group, "If you remember, today was supposed to be the day we all went out to get new recruits."

"We have our first recruit already," Misty says as she hugs Jessica.

"Danny, Luke, you have a meeting in Arizona, correct?"

"Yeah, we'll take my jet."

"Okay, and Colleen, you have a friend in Chinatown who might be interested?"

"Yes, I think I know where he'll be," she explains.

"Total crush," Misty whispers to Jessica who giggles a bit.

"It's amazing how much more not-annoying that gets," Colleen grumbles.

"I have to make a call to someone in California," Hogarth explains.

"Let me take care of that," Jessica volunteers, "Y'know, as the new recruit."

"Still don't know how I feel about that," Cage groans.

"Sure, you can call the guy in California," Hogarth hands her a piece of paper, "This is his number. Meanwhile, I can keep Anton company."

"Yeah, that's a good idea" Misty says, "Maybe you can show him around the city."

"My country is being torn apart by an invasion right now," Anton explains dryly, "But sure, show me the Empire State Building."

"Uh,... Never mind."

"Okay, we all have our assignments," Danny leads Cage out the door, "Let's go. I gotta show you something in the jet."

Cage starts to leave but turns back to Jessica, "So you'll be all right?"

"I'll be fine," she assures him.

Misty leads Colleen out, "Let's go see this hottie in Chinatown."

"Seriously. Stop," Colleen growls.

Later, Jessica is at her home. She dials the number Hogarth gave her and waits a bit. In a rundown apartment in San Francisco, Scott Lang answers the phone, "Yeah?"

"Hello, is this Scott Lang?"

"It... is. May I ask who's calling?"

"This is Jessica Jones. I'm with Heroes for Hire?"

"Wow. Heroes for Hire, okay. Why, um... would you be calling me?"

"I'm an associate with Jeryn Hogarth, who's our PR rep. He apparently knows someone who knows someone who met your friend Luis?"

"Luis," Lang mutters under his breath.

"I'm a bit foggy on the details, but Mr. Hogarth seems to think you might be suitable as a member of the Heroes for Hire."

"Yeah, I'd love to have a job right now, but I... have this thing."

"What, is it some other super team?," Jessica asks jokingly.

"Huh? How did you know the Avengers called me?," Scott asks, utterly confused.

"The Avengers called you?"

"No,... I didn't say that."

"Seriously, that's the excuse you're using? The Avengers already scouted you for membership?"

"Nope."

"You just said they did."

"No, I said... I said something else."

"What is with you?"

"Uh, I gotta go."

"Yeah, go because the Avengers called you," Jessica hangs up the phone, "Ass."

Danny and Cage are in their private jet, heading to Arizona. "Now that we're in the air, let me show you something," Danny tells Cage and gets out of his seat. He leads Luke to the back of the jet to the overhead luggage compartment. "Check this out," he opens the compartment and Cage looks inside, seeing nothing at all. "It's where we put our luggage. Pretty sure every plane's got one." Danny reaches inside and presses a particular section of the back. All the luggage compartments slowly slide back, revealing one long compartment underneath.

"I had secret compartments installed in the jet," Danny tells him happily.

"Why?," Cage asks, unimpressed.

"To hide stuff," Danny tells him excitedly, "Y'know, just in case we need to hide stuff."

"Hide what from whom?"

"Hide... important things," Danny has to think, "From... bad guys. I dunno. They seem like they could come in handy for us."

"What's with you these days, man?," Cage laughs, "You've really gotten involved in this whole Heroes for Hire thing lately."

"I own the company, so I might as well go all in."

"It's more than that. I know you."

Danny sits down with a sigh, "Okay, here it is. I'm not fulfilled."

"Why's that? You're rich, you have a beautiful girlfriend, what else do you need?"

"Misty is great, don't get me wrong, and things are going well at Rand Corps for once, but I... I think I'm bored. Y'know, I got a lot of closure recently. My worst enemy is gone and K'un L'un seems to be at peace. For once, no one is out to kill me for one reason or another."

"That's usually a good thing."

"Yeah, you'd think so, but I can't shake this feeling. I want to go out there on adventures, fight the bad guys, make a difference, sure, but there's more than that. There's something personal. It's like I don't think I'm alive unless I have some adversity to fight. With Heroes for Hire, I can do that."

"Danny, you once told me that guys with the Iron Fist have a certain fate, right? They will constantly have to fight and be put in danger. Don't you think that's what this is? It's fate, or whatever you want to call it, trying to get you into trouble, bring the heat on you."

"I dunno. Maybe. Probably. What else can I do? I go to business meetings and I'm chomping at the bit. I can exercise to lose some steam, but that doesn't help much. I need this. I have no idea if it's healthy or not, and it probably isn't, but I need to go out there and fight. I never thought it would be like this. I honestly didn't. For the past few years, I wanted nothing more than to have a quite life where I didn't have to worry about some old rival or an ancient enemy trying to kill me. When I got that, I realized I was missing something."

"Look, I don't know if this will help you, but you know I had closure of my own recently. I'm off parole, the Maggia is done, and Jessica has gotten better. That's why I'm settling down. When Jessica and I get married,... I'm not sure I wanna do this anymore."

"Really?"

"Yeah, man. I wanna start a family. I can't be going out there every night, putting myself in danger. I mean, sooner or later, I'm bound to run into someone who can kill me. What then? Maybe that's what you need. You and Misty can run off, get married, and retire."

"I should want that, right?"

"You don't have to. No one has to. Although it is a good idea to see what Misty thinks of this."

"Now that she's enhanced, she's pretty cool with it. She wants to use her power responsibly, plus she's really into this mission."

"Well, if the two of you are happy, then that's what counts."

"That reminds me, have you proposed yet?"

"Haven't had the chance. With Jess getting excited about joining Heroes for Hire, I'm not sure how she'll feel about settling down."

"I'm sure you guys will figure something out."

"Hope you're right."


	8. Chapter 8

A crowd of people sit on bleachers surrounding an octagonal ring with a cage. Two men in MMA gear grapple in the center while the crowd cheers. Misty and Colleen enter through the back and take a look around before sitting. "Are you sure he's here?," Misty asks, "This place is one step away from Fight Club."

"It's amateur MMA," Colleen explains, "It's not like it's an underground fighting ring or anything."

"I'm pretty sure you could get stabbed over a sandwich in a place like this."

"It's perfectly legit. It's fine."

"Yeah, but still, why would the guy be in a place like this? You said he was an agent for MI6 and there was that rumor he turned down SHIELD membership. Why would a guy with that much skill slum it in a place like this?"

"I don't know. Maybe he wants to stay in practice but doesn't want to draw too much attention to himself. Anything bigger than this, he might get too much exposure. Anything less, and he's basically street fighting and **that** would be slumming it."

"Fine. So how does your grandfather know this guy again?"

"Family friend. My grandfather interviewed him for a study on Asian crime organizations."

"What would he know about them?"

"His father was a crimelord in China. He raised him, his brother, and his sister as assassins."

"Wow. It's amazing he was able to get out of that situation."

"I think so too. He helped the authorities take down his family, worked as a secret agent, and is pretty much a hero, even if he tries to keep a low profile."

"Impressive. Now I see why you're so into this guy."

"I am not into...," Colleen stops mid-sentence when she suddenly spots him across the crowd and starts jumping excitedly, "Oh, there he is! It's him!"

Misty gives her an incredulous look when she notices how excited she is.

"Shut up," Colleen growls.

An Asian man enters the octagon. He is in his early thirties and wears a red and gold fighting gi. "For our next match," the announcer exclaims, "entering the octagon, weighing 150 pounds, is Shang-Chi." The crowd applauds politely as he steps in the ring, sits down, and begins meditating silently. It's obvious no one in the room knows who he is besides Colleen. At the other side of the ring, a younger Asian man steps in with long hair with dyed red streaks. He flexes his pectoral muscles and slams his fists together to psyche himself up. "His opponent, weighing 180 pounds, Junzo Muto!" Junzo hops onto the cage and pumps his fist into the air to hype the crowd who cheer loudly. It's obvious the audience are much more familiar with him and he revels in the fame.He jumps down and begins stretching, then paces like a caged tiger; Shang-Chi continues to meditate peacefully as if he's at the eye of the storm of movement coming from Junzo. The bell rings, so he stands to his feet and bows respectfully to his opponent. Junzo shuffles his feet and showboats as he somersaults to the side of the octagon, giving Shang-Chi an arrogant smirk. Shang-Chi, meanwhile, places one foot forward and raises his hands in a kung-fu stance. Junzo bounces back and forth, dancing around as if ready for his opponent to strike, but Shang doesn't move. He stands patiently waiting for his opponent to come to him. Deciding to give in, Junzo smiles and gives a little shrug before launching himself forward with a flying roundhouse kick. Shang cocks his head back just enough to avoid being hit, but otherwise, remains still. Junzo lands and throws a right-cross, which is deflected by Shang who pins his arm to the side in one swift move. Shang brings the palm of his hand down, an inch away from Junzo's neck and stops. They both freeze and the audience holds its breath. Junzo had no time to react or defend, not that he could have done much with his arm pinned. Shang does not follow through with the attack, however, instead, he lets him go, takes a step back, then bows to him. Next, he bows to the crowd before going to his corner of the octagon to take water from his water bottle. Everyone is stunned, but none more than Junzo.

"What the hell was that?," Junzo follows him across the ring, "Hey, this ain't over. What're you doing?"

Shang-Chi turns to him calmly, "I'm sorry. You lost."

Misty watches curiously and turns to Colleen, "What? That guy lost?"

Colleen smiles brightly, "Of course he lost. It's so obvious."

"Yeah," Misty says sheepishly, "So obvious. I was just about to say the same thing."

Junzo laughs at Shang, "What do you mean, I lost?"

"This match is over. Thank you," Shang begins to leave the cage, but Junzo steps in his path.

"The fight's not over until one of us is on the canvas," his tone is arrogant and threatening.

"This is not a fight. It's a match," Shang remains calm despite the attempt at intimidation.

"Whatever it is, it's not finished," Junzo gets within an inch of Shang's face, "Now, this is gonna happen one way or another. Inside or outside the ring. Your choice."

Shang says nothing, but simply gives an understanding nod. He steps back, sets his water bottle down, and once again takes a readied stance. Junzo paces back to the other side of the ring and bounces a few times, once again psyching himself up. He gives himself a few taps to the side of his head, lets out a primal roar, sprints forward, then pulls the same moves he did before: flying roundhouse, followed by a right-cross. Once again, Shang dodges the kick, deflects the punch, pins the arm down, and then raises his palm. This time, however, he follows through with the blow to Junzo's neck. The blow is devastating. The younger man drops instantly and does not get up. The crowd is stunned into silence. Shang-Chi bows to his unconscious opponent and quietly leaves the ring.

Moments later, Colleen rushes through the crowd and throws her arms around him, "Shang-Chi. That was great!" Shang smiles and hugs her back, "Colleen. It's been a long time. How is your grandfather?"

Colleen sways a bit like a young girl, "He's good," then she realizes Misty is standing nearby with an amused look on her face and quickly raises a more stoic facade, "This is my partner, Misty Knight."

"Nice to meet you," Shang shakes her hand, "I heard you became a private investigator."

"Yeah, well, we've kinda upgraded since then. We work with Heroes for Hire now."

"Oh, I see."

"As a matter of fact, we were kinda hoping you could join us. We have a mission and your expertise would be appreciated."

"Interesting. It has been quite some time since I've been involved in that sort of thing."

"Oh, well, I understand. You probably wouldn't want to -"

"What is the mission exactly?"

"You've heard about what's going on in Sokovia right now?," Misty asks.

"Of course."

"We're liberating it."

"Hm," Shang thinks about it, "I will contact you tomorrow and let you know my decision."

"That works."

"It was nice meeting you, Ms. Knight," he shakes her hand and turns to Colleen, "And it was nice seeing you again, Colleen."

Colleen smiles and mumbles something incoherently.

Shang takes his leave and the two stay behind. "What the hell did I even say?," Colleen groans. Misty puts an arm around her and leads her out with a chuckle, "Don't worry. He was happy to see you again."


	9. Chapter 9

Danny and Luke step out of a car and traipse through a desert in Arizona. "Sure this is the right place?," Luke asks. Danny looks off into the distance and sees a small trailer with a nearby shooting range, a truck, hitched boat, and some storage sheds. "I guess that's it," he points Luke in the right direction and they walk toward it.

"Couldn't this guy live in the city?," Cage asks, "Or some other place remotely close to civilization?"

"Maybe he's really introverted."

"Introverted people can still live in towns."

"Don't know what to tell ya. Hogarth thinks he's a little eccentric. Maybe he doesn't like being around people."

"Sounds great to work with."

They walk up to the trailer, open the outside screen, and knock on the front door. They wait a few moments and soon, a distinct clicking sound can be heard. Cage leans over to Danny and quietly whispers, "You hear a shotgun?". Danny leans over and also quietly whispers, "Yeah." A rough voice can be heard behind them, "Turn around, slowly." They comply. A Caucasian man in his mid-30's with unkempt brown hair holds a shotgun on both of them, "Did the IRS send you?"

"No. I'm Daniel Rand and this is Luke Cage. My associate, Mr. Hogarth, contacted you a while back?"

The man takes a closer look, a wry smile crossing his face before lowering his shotgun, "Sorry, didn't expect to hear back from you people so soon."

"We would have called..."

"Yeah, no phone. Better that way," he hangs the shotgun across his shoulder and shakes their hands, "You can call me Paladin."

"You have a real name?," Luke asks.

"Yes," Paladin answers frankly and moves past them to his trailer, "Come on in."

The trailer is more impressive on the inside: various guns and other weapons line the walls, ammo is stored in lockers, and there's a workshop at the back with various pieces of equipment and material. "This is the command center," Paladin moves them through the trailer to a black wardrobe with a padlock, "I got another bunker out in the desert that has an even bigger stockpile than this one." Cage checks out the weapons on the wall, "I'm going to assume you have permits for all these?". Paladin nods, "You bet. I'm a licensed bodyguard, private investigator, and bounty hunter. I even have a pilot's license in case we need to fly. Everything I do is perfectly legal, fellas, don't worry."

"I heard you were a soldier of fortune as well?," Danny asks.

"Soldier of fortune?," Cage becomes incredulous, "Like a mercenary?"

"We prefer the term private contractor."

"Danny, I'm not so sure about this guy."

"I understand, look, I don't work for any of those shady security agencies. Those are just corporate-sponsored armies. I'm a private agent and I do my homework. I check out my clients beforehand and see if they have a mostly clean record."

"Mostly clean?," Cage asks.

"I try my best to stay out of politics. As long as I know I'm not going to be asked to commit war crimes, I will usually do the job."

"If you work for us, you'll be on retainer," Danny tells him, "You'll have no other missions unless we say so."

"That's a big if," Cage adds.

"I get it. You want the hard sell. Aside from extensive training in combat and being a pilot, I have a network of connections around the globe, and, I am a bit of an engineer," he unlocks the wardrobe, "Let me show you my gear. I made it myself."

He opens the doors of the wardrobe, allowing the two men to look inside. There, rests a black bodysuit. At its side are violet shoulder pads, a chest plate, gauntlets, boots, utility belt, and a helmet complete with built-in goggles and a chin strap. "This baby is bullet proof," he raps on the chest plate, "Easily capable of withstanding large caliber rifles. It's also fire proof, insulated, and has a few secret compartments for weapons as well as tasers in the gloves. The goggles allow for infra-red and night vision. It's not an Iron Man suit, but it gets the job done."

"It is impressive," Danny tells him.

"Thanks," he closes the wardrobe and locks it, "So let's talk about price."

Later, Danny and Cage walk back to their car. "I can't believe you even considered that guy, let alone hired him" Cage gripes, "He's obviously in it just for the money. He says he does things the legal way, but I know guys like this. They find loopholes. Dude's out of his mind and weird." Once they reach the car, Danny turns and looks at Cage, "You're right," he agrees, "But he has the experience and he's willing to get involved in Sokovia for the price I'm willing to pay him. If we're going into walk into a warzone, we need guys like that." He gets in the car and an annoyed Cage follows.

In Sokovia, Gideon's men shove reporters into the Prime Minister's office. There, Gideon Mace sits in the Prime Minister's chair, his feet propped up on the desk. He looks at the reporters with a smile, "Ah, I'm glad a few of you decided to stay behind to feed corporate media." They gaze around nervously, but Gideon stands to his feet to greet them, "Don't worry," he tells them, "I need you people alive."

In a news studio somewhere in the US, a producer rushes to a reporter during a commercial break. He quickly whispers into his ear while the camera man counts down, "We're on in three... two...," and he signals for one. The On-Air light comes on and the reporter straightens up, "And we're back. Breaking news from Sokovia: the man who has apparently been responsible for overthrowing that country has decided to break his silence tonight and speak to the world." A picture of Gideon Mace appears onscreen, "He has identified himself as Gideon Mace, a former Army Colonel and current militia leader. After his men released this footage, he asked that it be broadcast unedited in exchange for releasing the journalists he currently has captive. Let's take a look." The footage changes to show Gideon Mace standing at attention in the Prime Minister's office.

"Hello, I am Gideon Mace. I am a former Army Colonel, 76th Regiment. For the past few years, I have orchestrated a militia, for the sole purpose of defending what I believe to be inalienable rights of human beings. I believe humanity has an obligation to make its own destiny. I do not believe in international borders as most borders were taken and drawn by force many years ago by oligarchs. I also do not believe in the enslavement of humanity by corporate-sponsored, war machines. Because of this, I have decided to strike back. I make no excuses. What I have done is evil, pure and simple. I believe this is what it takes to get the world's attention. I have taken Sokovia by force, but I ask you, what nation hasn't been taken by force? The nations we see today were created through Imperialism. Through violence and warfare. I am merely taking part in that tradition, but since I am not part of the ruling class, it is considered a crime. I ask all of you watching this footage to ask yourselves if you are truly free. I know for a fact, many people do not consider themselves free, but they don't have the courage to stand up and fight. I am hear to show you that you can fight. Rise up, take back your freedom, and let the world know that you will no longer be enslaved."

The footage cuts off and the reporter returns. "Harrowing," he says to the camera, "Gideon has yet to make any further demands, but he has issued a press conference to be held next week and has an open invitation for journalists from around the globe. We will keep you up to date on further developments."


	10. Chapter 10

Shang-Chi comes through the door of the Heroes For Hire headquarters. Colleen smiles and Misty gives her a knowing smirk. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he tells them. Cage and Danny approach him and shake his hand. "Shang-Chi, I've heard a lot about you," Danny greets him happily. "I've heard plenty about both of you as well," he tells them, "I've been thinking this through and after Gideon Mace's message last night, I've made up my mind. I want to offer my assistance."

Colleen hugs him, "I'm glad you made it."

He smiles at her and looks her in the eyes, "Me too."

"You've come at the perfect time," Hogarth shakes his hand next, "Jessica here was just about to debrief everyone."

"I'd love to see what you've got, Miss Jones."

Jessica stands at the holographic table and the rest of the group crowds around it, "As Jeryn said, I've been doing some research since you guys have been gone. After Gideon released the journalists, we've gotten a ton of images. From there, we have plenty of information so we now know who we're dealing with." She brings up a picture of Gideon, which is displayed as a hologram hanging over the lit-up table, "We all know Gideon Mace at this point. Like he said in his video last night, he was military. He retired a few years after losing an arm during a tour in Iraq. He was linked to some militia activity in the US, but nothing ever stuck. From all accounts, he's a pretty charismatic guy, more than capable of getting people to follow him, no matter how crazy his ideas are."

She brings up an image of Gideon walking through the decimated streets of Sokovia with Garcia, Lavell, Ricadonna, and Hardcore on either side. It's a blurred image, obviously taken by a journalist from a distance, but it is good enough to make out their faces. The hologram focuses on Garcia first, zooming in and bringing up a separate image of him in a casino in South America. In this photo, he is wearing an expensive suit and stands in front of a blackjack wheel with his arms around two women in bikinis.

"After Gideon left the military, he apparently did some security work for this man. His name is Ramon Garcia, a suspected crimelord from Puerto Rico. He owned a number of casinos throughout Central and South America, not all of which, were legitimate. He is estimated to be a billionaire, but of course, no one is sure just how much he's worth. Apparently, Garcia loves to gamble and he was notorious for his treatment of people who owed him money, which earned him the nickname Señor Muerte."

"Mister Death," Luke says, "That's gangsta."

"Those highschool Spanish lessons pay off?," Danny asks with a smirk.

"I get by."

"With Garcia getting cozy with Gideon Mace," Colleen begins, "He would have plenty of money to fund his army."

Jessica brings the group photo back and zooms in on Ricadonna. Another image comes up of Ricadonna in a fancy dress at a socialite dinner. She is laughing and holding a glass of champagne while talking to unidentified men.

"That brings us to this lovely young lady: Celia Ricadonna from Louisiana. She led several legitimate businesses until the feds realized she was using those businesses as a front for gun running. Once the FBI had evidence of her arms dealing, she managed to escape the country. It's been rumored she is romantically linked with Ramon Garcia, which would mean she's in tight with Gideon's inner-circle."

"That is probably how Gideon got his weapons," Hogarth explains.

Jessica zooms in on Hardcore. She brings up another equally fuzzy picture of Hardcore in an airport with shades and a hat, obviously traveling incognito.

"Then we have this guy. From what little information I gathered, I think he's a hitman from the Caribbean. Authorities have dubbed him 'Hardcore' due to how dangerous the guy is. It's rumored he's trained certain terrorist groups and now he's paling around with Gideon Mace in Sokovia."

"He's muscle," Luke explains, "Sounds like he might be helping to train Gideon's men, too."

"There were rumors some of these people are enhanced," Misty reminds the group, "That's what I'm most curious about."

"That us brings us to our last major player," Jessica zooms in on Lavell. A Cybertek ID badge soon appears, "This is Dr. Edward Lavell, a bio-engineer and cybernetics expert. He has no criminal record, but there was some issue about unethical practices at his first job. He went on to work for a company called Cybertek, which was up to all sorts of illegal superhuman experiments. Lavell managed to leave before the shit hit the fan."

"You think he's been enhancing Gideon and his people?," Misty asks.

"The fact that Gideon now has two arms instead of one, I'd say there's a good chance."

"I think we have things figured out fairly well," Hogarth adds, "Now we just need to figure out how to get into Sokovia."

"I noticed Gideon Mace is a man who enjoys being heard," Shang-Chi states quietly, "He is holding a press conference next week, is he not? A few of us can disguise ourselves as journalists."

"Anton believes the Prime Minister is still in the bunker under the capital building. This would be a good opportunity to sneak in and rescue him," Danny explains, "I have a private jet," he turns to Cage to gloat, "A jet that has secret compartments built in that will allow us to smuggle people in and out."

"I could hide on board the jet," Shang-Chi volunteers, "I've completed similar missions before."

"Looks like the secret compartments came in handy," Danny laughs.

"Fine," Cage rolls his eyes, "We can get Paladin to fly us in, even though I'm still not 100% sure of the guy."

"We need someone to be the journalist," Danny continues.

"Me, obviously," Jessica raises her hand, "I used to work for The Pulse. I can just use an old ID."

"Whoa, you're going on missions now?," Cage becomes worried.

"I won't be in the thick of it," she assures him, "We know Gideon Mace just wants a platform. I'll go in as a journalist, listen to him spout nonsense for a little bit, and then fly back."

"I'll go as her bodyguard in case things go wrong," Colleen volunteers.

"I think I should go," Cage tells her.

"You're too recognizable. People know you. Gideon will know something's up."

"She's right," Danny tells him, "Between Colleen, Shang-Chi, and Paladin, Jessica should be safe."

"Alright, but I got a bad feeling about this."


	11. Chapter 11

The team stands on a small runway with Danny's plane behind them. Both Colleen and Jessica are dressed professionally while Shang-Chi is wearing a black catsuit, befitting a spy. Paladin steps out of the cockpit, wearing a pilot's uniform, and makes his way down the steps, "The jet's pretty sweet, Mr. Rand."

"Thanks."

"We're ready to take off when you guys are."

Luke kisses and hugs Jessica, "You be safe."

"Always," then she adds, "Love ya."

"Always," he tells her.

"She will be in good hands, Mr. Cage," Shang-Chi rests a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"Better be."

"We should touch down in 11 hours," Colleen informs them, "With any luck, we'll be back in the sky in no time with no one the wiser."

"Good luck," Danny tells them.

They enter the jet and moments later, they take off. They are in the sky later that night. Colleen and Shang-Chi sit next to one another while Jessica is behind them.

"So after our office got wrecked," Colleen finishes her story, "We disbanded Knightwing Restorations and joined Danny and Luke."

"I think you've done your grandfather proud."

"Thanks. He is proud."

"It seems you've been fairly accomplished," he smiles slightly, "Aside from the destroyed office, obviously."

She playfully slaps his shoulder, "So what about you? What crazy adventures have you been up to?"

"I haven't been active much lately. I enjoy the quiet life... when I can get it."

"Quiet life," Jessica mockingly contemplates the phrase, "What's that like?"

"Peaceful," he answers, "Especially after a living a life of conflict."

"Yeah, I know what that's like. I'm still putting pieces together after a pretty devastating ordeal."

He smiles a bit, "Past wounds help us appreciate the peaceful times."

"That's a good point."

"You are involved with Luke Cage, correct?"

"Yes, I am."

"That will also help, I think. When you have someone who cares for you and you care in return, it goes a long way."

"So what about you?," Colleen asks, "Is there anyone for you to care for?"

"Of course," he smiles at her.

Jessica says nothing but sits back with a knowing smirk.

"You know, I remember the first time I saw you," Colleen recalls, "I think you were maybe 19. At that time, you were just getting over a lot of the stuff you went through with your family. You were so intense, yet calm. It was a contradiction. It was obvious you were raised to be something else. Something that wasn't real."

"Something dangerous," he nodded.

"Not that. You're still dangerous. I've seen you fight."

"Then what?"

"Something dark. Uncaring. I knew it wasn't who you really were."

"Thank you," he pauses for a moment, "You always seemed to know exactly who you are and what you wanted. I've always admired that."

In the cockpit, Paladin flies silently until he gets an alert on his radio. "Attention pilot," the voice on the radio begins, "You are approaching Sokovian airspace. Identify yourself, the model of your plane, passengers, and cargo."

Paladin picks up the radio, "This is a private jet, model Embraser Phenom 100, owned by Rand Corps, rented out to The Pulse newsgroup. I am carrying two passengers, one reporter named Jessica Jones and her bodyguard, Colleen Wing." At this point, Paladin looks out the left window and notices a fighter jet emerging from the clouds alongside them. He swallows nervously and waits for a response. In the cabin, the others peer out the window once they notice the fighter jet keeping up with them.

"Do you have any weapons on board?," the air traffic controller asks.

"Ms. Wing has a licensed firearm since she's Ms. Jones' bodyguard," he answers, "Otherwise, we have no weapons."

There is another heavy silence before he continues, "She will have to surrender her weapon upon arrival. She will get the gun back when you leave."

"Understood."

"Our pilot will escort you to the designated landing strip."

The fighter jet flies ahead and Paladin follows. Soon, they descend through the clouds and Sokovia is visible down below. Paladin gets on the plane's intercom, "We're heading into Sokovian airspace. We should be landing in about thirty minutes, people. Get ready." They buckle up and sit silently as the plane comes in for a landing. The airstrip is almost empty aside from a few smaller passenger planes and private jets on the tarmac. Armed guards come out to the jet to meet them. Inside, Colleen and Jessica open the luggage panel, then Shang-Chi quickly crawls inside.

"Are you comfortable?," Colleen asks.

"I fit. That's all that's important," Shang-Chi responds, "They should be here soon. Hurry."

They quickly replace the panel, hiding Shang-Chi, then close the luggage compartment. Moments later, they step outside the plane along with Paladin. Jessica shows them her Pulse ID badge to show she's a journalist. Paladin shows them his own ID, as does Colleen.

"You, stay here with the plane," one of the guards commands Paladin.

"Sure," Paladin nods to the other two and gets back inside the jet.

"You must surrender your firearm," another guard tells Colleen.

She looks to Jessica who nods for her to comply. She reluctantly hands her gun over. "This way," the guards move them to a nearby jeep. Two more guards stay behind to keep watch over the jet. Paladin leans over to the luggage compartment, "Stay put. The coast isn't clear yet." Shang-Chi waits patiently inside the cramped space. Paladin sits in the cockpit and watches Colleen and Jessica drive off from the window and wipes the sweat from his brow. Outside, one guard gives an order to the second one,"Check the plane. If you find anything, kill the pilot and alert Mr. Mace." The guard nods in compliance and steps inside the jet.


	12. Chapter 12

The guard steps into the plane to take a look around. Paladin stands by the cockpit door, looking nervous but saying nothing. The guard only gives him a momentary glance before peeking around the seats for any suspicious. Paladin watches helplessly as the guard opens the first luggage compartment and checks inside. Finding nothing, he makes his way to the second luggage compartment. Paladin slowly reaches behind him, pulling his shirt tail up to reveal the holster of a gun tucked into the back of his pants and once the guard opens the second compartment, he grips it tightly. The guard peers inside curiously and once satisfied, turns away, not noticing the removable section. Paladin breathes a sigh of relief and releases the grip on his gun once he leaves the plane.

A few seconds later, Paladin removes the panel from the luggage compartment and Shang-Chi crawls out and hops down. "There are two guards stationed outside the door," Paladin whispers to him. Shang nods silently. Outside, two guards stand watch on either side of the steps leading up to the jet. Paladin appears in the doorway and steps forward, "Um,... Hey guys?". The guards spin around and raise their weapons, but Paladin defensively raises his hands and takes a step down the ramp, "Whoa, hey, I just wanted to ask a question." The guards give him a curious look and while they're distracted, Shang flies out the door and brings his heel across the fac eof one guard. The second guard turns, but Paladin hits him with a right-cross as he steps down onto the tarmac, then grabs him by the lapels, and slams the back of his head against the side of the jet to knock him out. It's not long before Paladin and Shang are dragging two unconscious men to a stack of crates and other equipment, then squat behind it. Paladin takes a look at their uniforms and turns to Shang-Chi, "So what's your size?". Soon, the men are bound and gagged with at least one of them in a pair of boxers and an undershirt. A tarp is thrown over them to hide them. Shang-Chi buttons up the guard's uniform and notices it's a big too baggy on him with sleeves that run past his wrists.

"It doesn't fit well, but it'll do," he says aloud.

Paladin points to the West, "As we came in for a landing, I saw the capitol building due West. I'd say it's about five miles out."

Shang-Chi takes a look at a parked jeep, "It shouldn't take long," he turns back to Paladin, "Are you staying with the jet?"

"Yeah, just in case someone comes looking for the pilot. The ladies should be back in about two hours. Think you can make it?"

"I should be back in time, but if not, take off without me."

"Let's hope Daniel Rand gives you something extra for this."

"I'm not in it for the money," Shang says as he walks toward the jeep.

"Suit yourself," Paladin mutters to himself.

Closer to the capitol, a car drives down a blocked-off road. Jessica and Colleen are in the backseat as Gideon's men drive them. Soon, the car pulls up to a restricted area alongside other cars. There, several more reporters step out of their vehicles while also being escorted by guards. They all show their ID badges once more and are padded down and walk through metal detectors. The reporters are herded into a meeting room in another section of the capital after that. There, they sit down in a cluster of chairs in front of a podium. Garcia enters the room and addresses the reporters, "Mr. Gideon will be here, shortly. You may ask questions then."

Shang drives his jeep down a side road. It's a dirt road with not much on either side. He pulls up to a barricade with three guards and a makeshift gate. "Where are you going?," the guard asks. "Mr. Gideon wanted me to report to the capital," he tells them. The guards look at one another. "I didn't hear about this," one of them responds. Shang steps out of the car with a smile. "I think I know why," he steps forward and brings his hand across the throat of the first guard, knocking him to the ground where he gasps for breath. The other guard pulls a pistol, but he leaps forward with a kick to his chin, then he rolls over the metal gate as the guard on the other side fires, the bullets bouncing off the gate. Shang lays flat, then rolls under the gate, coming directly underneath the guard. He brings his foot up and kicks the man in the gut. The guard holds his stomach and bends over, allowing Shang the opportunity to do a back-roll and strike him in the chin. With the guards down, he manually opens the gate and drives through.

Gideon steps into the meeting room and approaches the podium. Hardcore, Ricadonna, Lavell, and Garcia all stand off to the side. He adjusts the microphone on the podium and smiles brightly, a strange look of warmth in a very intense situation. "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I'm Gideon Mace."

Shang makes his way down a hill and races toward a fence with barbed wire; behind that is the rear entrance to the capital. He comes around to the front entrance of the capital where other guards are filing inside. Once he comes inside, he stoops down and pretends to tie his boot while the others pass him by and continue on. Shang hangs back and quickly rushes into another room. There, he locks the door, steps onto the desk, and removes the cover of the vent on the ceiling. Soon, he crawls into the shaft and is on his way.

Back in the press meeting, Gideon Mace points to a reporter, signaling for him to ask a question, "Yes, you."

A reporter stands to his feet and addresses him, "There have been reports that you are enhanced and certain other members of your entourage have also received enhancements. Is this rumor true?"

Gideon rolls up his sleeve, revealing his metal arm, "Hell yeah," he motions to Lavell, "Dr. Lavell has been in my employ for some time. He is constantly updating our weapons and has given a few of us cybernetic implants," Ricadonna smiles to herself and Gideon continues, "Next question."

Another reporter raises a hand, "How long do you think you will be able to hold this country hostage?"

"It won't be indefinite, but it will be a long time, I'm sure of it. If the Powers-That-Be decide they want me out, they could kick me out, but they're not gonna do that. Not yet, at least. Chances are, they're weighing their options. Governments wonder how they can use this situation to their advantage. Corporations are wondering if they can make a profit somehow. Politicians wonder if this might affect their approval rating in the next election. The world is watching all this unfold and more and more people are waking up to the idea that the men and women who lord over them ultimately don't give a shit. If they did, they would be here by now."

Jessica raises her hand, "So all of this has been to prove a point. Couldn't you have found a more peaceful way to do that?"

"I could, but no one would listen to me. Sadly, this is the way the world works. Pacifists end up as martyrs but only the voice of the strong is heard."

"How many people do you think will see your point?," she continues.

Garcia furrows his brow as Jessica speaks, as if noticing something.

"Check the alternative media. Check the internet," Gideon tells her, "These are not new concepts. There are people who may not agree with my methods, but they agree with my message. It's only a matter of time before more civilians do what I did and rise up, removing their governments from power. Once that happens, We The People will finally be in charge."

Garcia leaves the room quietly and Ricadonna curiously watches him go.

Colleen notices Garcia leaving, but remains sitting quietly. She glances at the guards surrounding them and Gideon's team at the front of the room, covering Garcia's exit. She has no choice but to remain seated. "Next question, please," Gideon asks. Behind the closed door, Garcia brings out his phone and begins to search for the name Jessica Jones.


	13. Chapter 13

Shang-Chi drops through a vent, into a restroom, then looks around, making sure the coast is clear. It's quiet at first, but soon, one of Gideon's men steps out of the stall. The two meet each other's gazes and freeze for a moment with the only sound being a flushing toilet, but the silence is broken a split-second later when Shang delivers a quick kick, throwing the man back through the stall door. Next, he leaves the room and enters a hall in one of the bottom floors. It's a basement area with concrete walls, poor lighting, and pipes running in every direction. He quickly races down the hall until he comes to a corner. There, he sees two men guarding a vault door. He notices the wall-mounted camera and intercom system next to them as well, indicating that this is the bunker where the Prime Minister is located. He tuns the corner, still in the uniform of the airport guard, and approaches.

"You're not on the roster down here," one of the guards protests once he notices him. Shang performs an arching kick, sending the guard into the wall. The second guard goes for his holstered gun, but Shang grabs his hand, forcing the gun back inside, then palm-thrusts him across the bridge of the nose. Inside the bunker, the Prime Minister and his men sit quietly. There is a brief chime, indicating someone is trying to contact them through the intercom system. The Prime Minister looks at his men, baffled, then goes to answer. Shang's face appears on the screen.

"I trust the Prime Minister is in there?," he begins.

"This is the Prime Minister."

"My name is Shang-Chi. I'm with Heroes For Hire. Anton contacted us and we've come to escort you out of that bunker. We haven't much time, so I suggest -"

"I can't go."

"... I'm sorry?"

"I'm needed here. I can't leave the country while my people suffer."

"I understand your dilemma, Prime Minister, however -"

"Your team was hired to remove the threat of Gideon Mace, were you not?"

"Indeed."

"Then take him out. Take down his army, then I will come out of this bunker. Until that time, I have no choice but to remain here," he motions toward one of his men who hands him a sealed folder, "But you will not be leaving empty-handed. We have drawn up a map of this land. My generals have indicated certain areas they are sure to have been turned into outposts and makeshift bases for Gideon's men. We know the terrain much better than they do, so we've included secluded areas to help you navigate as well."

"Any information you offer will be helpful, I'm sure."

"We're sending the folder to you now."

One of the men punches a code into the door's keypad. Airlocks are released and the door begins to slide as whiffs of steam emerge. Shang-Chi waits patiently on the other side as the doors slide open.

At the press conference, Garcia walks onstage and whispers something into Gideon Mace's ear. Both Jessica and Colleen appear nervous. Once he receives the news, Gideon straightens up and faces the journalists. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have," he tells them as he begins to leave the stage, "Thank you. My men will escort all of you back to your vehicles and you will be taken to the airport." The journalists all rise and talk at once in an attempt to get one more question out, but his men block their way and begin herding them through the doors. Colleen whispers to Jessica, "I got a bad feeling about this. We need to make it back to our plane ASAP." Jessica nods. Soon, they are brought outside and the men shove the small crowd to their cars. **  
**

Back inside, Gideon faces his team, "So what was that about?"

"There's a journalist here by the name of Jessica Jones," Garcia begins, "The name sounded familiar so I looked her up. Not only does she no longer work for The Pulse, but she has connections to the Heroes for Hire. As does her bodyguard, a woman by the name of Colleen Wing."

"You think she was sent here as a spy?," Gideon asks.

"I'm certain of it. Luke Cage is her lover. The connection is obvious."

"More bad news," Hardcore checks his phone, "Some of our men just sent off a signal. Someone has infiltrated the building."

"Get as many men as you can to seal off every exit," Gideon commands, "but let the journalists go. We don't want this sort of thing to get out in the open."

"What about Jessica Jones and Colleen Wing?," Garcia asks.

"Can I take this one?," Ricadonna asks as she mockingly raises her hand.

"You're up. Make sure you let them get to the airport first. Less witnesses that way."

"What of the other journalists?," Garcia asks, "They're all headed to the airport."

"Have the drivers send everyone out one-by-one. Call it a formality. Jessica Jones and Colleen Wing's car goes first."

Outside, Shang-Chi races to his jeep. Once he gets inside, he takes off his uniform, exposing the black catsuit underneath. He takes a look at the sealed folder and places it in a pack, then slips it over his shoulder. He peels away after that.


	14. Chapter 14

Colleen and Jessica sit uncomfortably in the backseat as a driver and a guard take them back to the airport. After they pass the gate (which is closed behind them) and pull onto the tarmac, the driver gets a call and when he speaks, it's in a low whisper; Colleen and Jessica both give each other nervous glances. The car pulls to a stop. "Why are we stopping?," Colleen asks in an attempted nonchalant tone. The driver cocks his head back briefly, "Get out of the car, please," then both he and the guard step out. Back at the plane, Paladin descends the steps leading up to the jet and reaches back to grip his gun tightly as he watches them. The driver waits beside the rear driver's side door as Colleen and Jessica get out (Colleen makes sure to keep the door open). The driver's guard gets out on the passenger side of the car and calls out to Paladin, "Pilot, could you please come here for a moment?". Paladin nods and smiles, "Sure thing," then walks out to the car.

"So can I have my gun back?," Colleen asks as she holds out her palm. The driver reaches into his jacket and gives her a reassuring smile, "Sure," and then pulls a gun, pointing it at near point-blank range. Colleen grabs his wrists and brings them down against the car door with enough force to make him drop his weapon. Standing on the other side of the car, the guard pulls his own weapon, but Paladin quickly draws and fires, shattering the passenger side window as he hits his target. Colleen palm-heels the driver across the face, grabs him by the back of his jacket as he reels back, then slams his head through the door window. She picks the gun off the ground and turns to Jessica, "Get to the plane!"; the three of them race back to the jet. They let Jessica climb on board first, then Colleen asks Paladin, "Where's Shang-Chi?" "We got other things to worry about," he points to the distance as more guards approach, rifles drawn. Both Colleen and Paladin open fire, striking two as the others duck behind crates, luggage vehicles, and other forms of cover.

The sound of an approaching engine can be heard across the tarmac, gaining everyone's attention. They look out across the airport and see a jeep burst through the gate and roar to their location. Colleen smiles, knowing full well who is behind the wheel. Shang-Chi drives the vehicle toward the plane at a determined speed. The guards turn their attention away from the plane and gather on the tarmac to open fire on the jeep. They bust the headlights, put several bullets through the grill and then the front tires. Soon, the jeep dives nose first into the pavement, flips over, and starts rolling as bits of debris fall off. It loses momentum as it gradually comes to a stop, then rests on its side as smoke billows from it. The guards quickly approach the jeep with their rifles ready. Meanwhile, Colleen and Paladin hold their breath as they wait for any signs of life. As the guards get closer, a figure leaps over the destroyed jeep, flips through the air and a heel lands against the chest of one guard, throwing him against a stack of containers that quickly topple over. Shang slips in the middle of the cluster of guards, making their rifles mostly useless as they cannot shoot at him due to the lack of range. He kicks one in the face, punches another, and continues the momentum of his spin by elbowing the third. One guard steps back and raises his rifle, but Shang sidesteps, shoving the muzzle of the rifle just as he opens fire, which strikes another guard in the distance. Shang-Chi ducks down, sweeping his legs out from under him. With the final guard on the ground, Shang flips into the air, bringing his heel down on top of the fallen guard.

"That's why I wanted him on the team," Colleen says aloud.

"Good choice," Paladin agrees.

Shang races to them, slipping the pack from his back, then handing it to Colleen. "Here," he tells her, "This is the layout of the land as well as potential targets."

"The Prime Minister isn't coming?"

"He won't leave his people. This information should give us the advantage, though. No one would know this country better than the Sokovians themselves."

Another jeep comes through the broken gate and heads their way.

"We have company," Jessica calls out from the plane.

"We need to take off now!," Paladin retreats to the cockpit, "Strap in everyone!"

"They'll destroy the plane before we even get into the air," Shang says solemnly.

"I don't like the look you have right now."

Shang turns and kisses her and she is taken aback for a moment. He releases her, smiles, and tells her, "I wish we had more time," then turns back to the rapidly approaching jeep. He steps off the jet's ramp and begins running toward it as it gets closer. Colleen calls out, "Wait!". Jessica pulls her inside, "Colleen, we have to go!" They close the ramp to the jet and Paladin begins flipping switches on the console. The propellers come alive and the plane's wheels begin to turn. Shang continues to run at the jeep headlong, which shows no signs of slowing. He launches himself high into the air and the two men in the front seats drop their jaws. Shang's reflection appears a split-second before he flies straight through the windshield, feet-first. Paladin pulls the jet onto the runway while Colleen and Jessica peer through the windows.

The driver's side door opens and the driver spills out in an unconscious heap, which is followed by Shang who rolls out of the vehicle and stands ready. The rear door opens and he quickly kicks it, slamming it against the head of the next man who gets out. A second man gets out on the opposite side with a rocket launcher. He crouches to the ground and quickly takes aim at the jet as it prepares for take-off. Shang comes in with a kick to the side of his head and as he falls, he fires a single rocket. The projectile arches over the jet, hitting the tail of another plane. Jessica flinches as she sees the explosion from her window. Finally, a pair of high-heel shoes step out of the jeep; Ricadonna is the last one to get out. A confident smirk appears across her face and she makes her way to Shang as he disarms the rocket launcher.

He doesn't turn, but still somehow knows someone is approaching from behind, so he quickly spins and throws a punch. Ricadonna raises her arms over her head defensively and when Shang strikes her forearm, there is a distinct sound of clanging metal. In the plane, Colleen watches helplessly as Paladin drives them down the runway. Shang clutches his hand in pain and is quickly knocked down with a punch to the head. Ricadonna snatches him by the throat, then lifts him over her head. He says nothing and shows no emotion; he simply stares into her eyes.

"I know your kind," Ricadonna says with a smile, "I could torture you for hours and you'd die before you even made a sound," the smile fades, "So I guess there's no reason to keep you alive then."

She flips her wrist and there's a distinct snapping sound. The jet takes off into the sky and Colleen watches from above as Ricadonna drops Shang-Chi's dead body at her feet. "No!," she screams and presses her hands against the window. Jessica closes her eyes and shakes her head as she hears Colleen's sobs. Paladin, meanwhile continues to fly, nervously looking out the windows for anymore enemies. From the ground, Ricadonna watches as the jet flies away, scowling as they retreat.


	15. Chapter 15

It's the next day and Misty comforts Colleen at headquarters. The rest of the team sits around the meeting table while Jessica debriefs them, "Shang-Chi manage to give us this map before he covered our escape." She lays the map out on table for everyone to see, "He died to give this to us, so let's make the most of it." Danny turns on the projector on the table and a large hologram of the map hangs over their heads as they begin to study it.

"His death won't be in vain," he tells them then turns his attention to the map, "Flying into Sokovia is no longer an option. Sokovia is land-locked. Crossing over a border will be next to impossible. Sokovia's neighbors are trying their best to secure that area, plus I'm sure Gideon's men are camped out on the other side."

"There is a river leading into the country," Luke points to a river, "Maybe if we can find some way down there."

"I think I know a way," Paladin speaks up, "That river flows out of the Czech Republic. I know a guy there who sells boats. We can take a small one down there without being seen."

"Any chance of the river being guarded?," Danny asks.

"Not really. It's pretty damn dangerous. We're talking rapids and a big damn waterfall."

"It's better than nothing."

Jessica points to a research center, "I noticed this research center was detailed on the map. Apparently Gideon's men took that area first when they attacked."

Misty rises to her feet and approaches the group, "Gideon has a scientist working for him, right? He's apparently turning the assholes into living weapons."

"Right and it's a few miles away from the bank of this river."

"It's a good idea to hit the research center first," Danny explains as he draws a holographic line across the ,map, "Then we make our way to the capital."

"The sooner we take out that creepy cyborg factory the better," Misty adds, "We need to make sure there are a few less super powers in the world."

"Did you forget about the fact you just got superpowers?," Luke asks, "Or that a lot of people in this room have them?"

"Obviously, I'm not talking about us, just... the existence of them in general. It makes the world a much more dangerous place. Sokovia is proof of that."

"Let's take a break for now," Danny tells the room, "Come back in about twenty minutes?"

Everyone separates. Danny comes over to Colleen and puts an arm around her. She lays her head on his shoulder, but no words are spoken. Luke comes up to Jessica as everyone leaves the room, "Are you sure you're okay?," he asks.

"I told you, I'm fine. If anything, you should check up on Colleen. Shang-Chi's death hit her more than anyone else here."

"With all you've been through, I'm not sure you need to go back out in the field like this."

"I'm not in the field. I'm intelligence."

"You were almost killed out there. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"That makes two of us."

"I'm serious. I'm worried. I can't be at your side every time. Maybe... Maybe this isn't the best time for you."

"What you want me to quit?"

"You don't have to quit. maybe you could -"

"I swear if the word 'secretary' is anywhere in your next sentence, I will have Misty punch you."

"That's not what I'm saying..."

"What are you saying?"

"Sorry, I don't want you getting hurt."

"I don't want you getting hurt too, but you don't see me -"

"It's different with me."

"Because you're enhanced."

"Well, yeah."

"Look, I won't fly back over to Sokovia anytime soon. That should be good enough."

"I'm still afraid. I'm sorry but I am. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Yeah, but I'm gonna marry you."

Everyone stops and turns to them. Jessica is speechless and the realization of what he just said makes Luke wince. Danny smiles proudly as he watches. Luke gets down on one knee as Jessica begins to tear up. "You know I wanted to do this at a better time," Luke reaches into his pocket, removes the ring, and places it on her finger, "Jessica, will you marry me?". Her face brightens and tears run down her face as she embraces Luke, "Of course I will." They hold each other and the others clap for them. Except for Colleen. She remains seated, obviously still mourning. Misty comes and sits next to her, "Don't feel like celebrating just yet?". She shakes her head. "I know," Misty puts her arm around her once more.

In Sokovia, Gideon and his team enter a large laboratory filled with equipment and shelves full of mechanical parts. Lavell steps in front of the group, "Just so you know, I have been busy since finishing Miss Ricadonna's enhancements." Ricadonna smiles and cracks her metallic knuckles, "They came in handy."

"I'm glad to hear this, Lavell," Gideon surveys the weapons on the workbenches, "The Heroes for Hire might be popping in to cause trouble any day now. We need to be ready. What do you have for us?"

"Mostly ammunition. Body armor."

"We're gonna need something a bit bigger. Luke Cage was bullet proof last I heard."

Garcia looks up, noticing a containment pod with a black bodysuit. The suit covers the entire body from the next down and has blue nodes running up the limbs and converging at the chest. "What's that?," Garcia asks.

"Oh, it's a protective suit that channels a body's bio-electricity into electric currents. Sort of like an eel."

"You have a few of those laying around?," Gideon asks.

"I only made one and it's calibrated to my specific biorhythms. I'm the only one who can use it," Lavell moves to a nearby workbench, "But I still have the prototype. He picks up a harness that has a chest piece that connects to two shoulder pads. Cables run down at arm's length and twin gauntlets hang loosely at the ends. "Just about anyone can wear this," Lavell explains, "It fires darts that release electric shocks."

"I'll take it," Garcia says with a smirk.

"You should know, it only works about 85% of the time."

"I do like to gamble," Garcia takes it in his hands.

Gideon nods in approval, "Well, at least our team is equipped to take on the Heroes for Hire," he turns to Hardcore, "What about you, man? Any weapons in here that catch your eye?"

Hardcore fits a metal gauntlet over his hand and when he straightens his fingers, small razors emerge form the fingertips, "These will do."

"Looks like we're all locked and loaded," Gideon tells them, "Let's get ready to kick some ass."


	16. Chapter 16

**Czech Republic**

The Heroes for Hire arrive at a riverside town. Colleen, Misty, Luke, and Danny stand on a dock, which has several boats tethered to it. Paladin leaves the small shack next to the dock and quickly pockets the money he has left. "My guy came through. We got a boat," he tells them. Danny looks at the map and runs his finger along the path of the river to Sokovia.

"And you're sure it'll be safe to take the river path?," he asks.

"Nope, but it's better than nothing," Paladin shrugs.

"Sounds great," Luke groans.

"We can always march through the border and try not to be seen by either side," Paladin says snidely, "Think we can take our chances with a few rapids? I mean, come on! I got a boat for cheap. What more do you want?"

"As long as it works," Misty adds.

"Yeah, so long as it's not that piece of junk over there," Luke points to an old, damaged and dirty boat at the end of the dock.

"Yeah," Paladin looks embarrassed, "About that..."

The old boat travels down the river. There are mountains and a forest on either side. The water is rushing but it's safe for the moment. Inside, the team sit quietly while Paladin sits at the controls. Colleen leaves her seat and steps out at the rear of the boat to look out over the water as they pass. Misty follows.

"Still thinking of him?," Misty asks.

"For the most part," Colleen responds cryptically.

"I know that look. Danny had that look when he was going after his parents' killer. I saw that look as a police detective."

"Do you blame me?"

"No. You loved Shang. He loved you. If I were in your shoes, I would also want to hunt down the person who killed him. I just want to make sure you're in your right mind."

"What do you mean? We can't do this the lawful way since we're entering a country that no longer has law and order."

"I'm not talking about doing this by the book. I'm talking about you keeping a clear head going in."

"I'm focused. I'll be careful."

"I'm worried about the fallout. With us going in guns blazing, I'm worried about collateral. With all the enhanced people running around these days, blowing up cities, I'm afraid we might make things worse. We have a responsibility. If we keep things grounded, we can do that."

"I'll keep my feet on the ground. Promise."

She hugs her, "Love ya."

Inside the boat, Danny and Luke take the opportunity to chat.

"Excited about the wedding?," Danny asks.

"I'm pretty nervous," he answers.

"It's a big commitment."

"Not the marriage thing. I'm nervous about my future family. When I learned Jessica was in trouble, I was scared, angry,... a whole bag of emotions. What if she died? What if I died? She had a point back there. She needs me alive. Our family needs me alive."

"There isn't much out there that can kill you."

"Not much, but it's out there. It's happened a few times as you know. I was fine putting myself in danger before, but now..."

"You don't want to leave her alone."

"I'm gonna get real here, man, you should feel the same way about Misty."

"I do."

"You're getting too wrapped up in the business, man. Shang-Chi got killed. Jessica and Colleen almost died too. Now we're relying on that Paladin guy to drive us in a busted ship to who-knows-where. I need to know you got this."

"I got this," Danny smiles.

Just then, the entire boat rocks and both men nearly fall out of their seats. Colleen and Misty almost go overboard as a spray of water washes up on them. They stumble back inside the boat as it continues to lurch. "We have some rough waters," paladin calls out as he tries to steer the boat. The rapids get rougher, jerking the boat back and forth. As Paladin struggles to remain in control, it swerves to the side and goes around the river bend. The rest of the team race into the cockpit.

"I'm trying my best to clear the rapids," Paladin tells them.

"This thing gonna hold together?," Cage asks.

"We're good unless we hit the rocks or go over a waterfall or something," he chuckles.

They go around another bend and notice a large water fall. "Now we know why Gideon's men aren't guarding this area," Luke growls, "No one is dumb enough to go through the river."

"What can we do?," Colleen asks.

"Brace for impact?"

"Paladin, how much does this boat weigh, roughly?," Danny asks.

"With us on board? I'd say roughly three tons."

Danny turns to Luke, "Think you can do it?"

"Worth a shot," Luke leaves the cockpit, "Everyone hold on to something."

Luke steps on to the starboard bow and dives off into the water. The team hold on tight to anything bolted down as they look out the windows. The boat gets closer to the waterfall and there is no sign of Luke. As it gets near, it begins to tip forward, giving everyone a view of the river basin several feet below. Just then, Cage flies through the falls, pressing both hands against the keel, straightening it up as he leaps down while holding the boat on his shoulders. The team hold on tightly as they drop. Cage hangs on, trying his best to keep the boat straight as he falls to the water below. The splash is huge, but the boat lands in the water and the team breathe a sigh of relief. A little while later, they help Luke back on board. "Let's take the plane next time," he groans.


	17. Chapter 17

The boat rests on the bank of the river. Colleen and Misty step out of the boat, now in their gear. Colleen wears a silver body suit while Misty has a red suit that has metal bands over one arm and her enhanced arm exposed. They join Danny (now in his white costume), Luke, and Paladin (now in his armor with his helmet at his side).

"How far away are we from civilization?," Misty asks.

"Not too far," Danny answers while looking at the map, "There's a small village about a mile that way," he points to the distance.

"We can hide out there," Luke adds, "Where do we go from there?"

Danny points to a building on the map, "There's a compound near the capital. According to the Sokovians, this is a major research center. Apparently Gideon's people started their attack in this region."

"They have Lavell working for them," Colleen explains, "That must be where he's building weapons and enhancements."

"It will also be heavily guarded, as is the capital," Luke explains.

"Which means we need to draw Gideon's men away from that region," Paladin concludes, "If we do that, we can take the research center and cut off their weapons supply, then move up to the capital."

"It means we'll have to split up after we reach the village," Misty says.

"You, Colleen, and Paladin can take the research center," Danny tells them, "Luke and I can draw their attention by making a play toward the capital."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's head to the village," Luke states finally.

Some time later, they ascend a hill and soon come across a small village. The streets are empty and there are only scattered houses and some shops. "Where is everyone?," Misty asks. They continue through the streets without seeing a single person. As they pass by a row of apartments, a single shot rungs out and bounces off the back of Cage's head.

"Think we found `im," Cage states calmly and they quickly dive behind parked cars and a few more shots rings out. "They're perched in the apartments above," Danny says, "I'm gonna go check it out. Cover me?" Colleen, Misty, and Paladin rise and run in the opposite direction while popping off a few shots. They break some windows in the building, which elicits responding fire from a few apartments. Danny and Luke come out next. Cage cups his hands as Danny presses his foot in his palms and is soon launched into the air. He breaks through the second story window and a few seconds later, muzzle flashes can be seen from the dark windows. The team waits below for any response and soon, Danny pokes his head out and shouts, "It's okay. We're coming down."

Not long after that, Danny emerges from the front door and several Sokovians follow him outside. These are just normal citizens, some of which, hold hunting rifles. "I found a pocket of resistance," Danny tells the team, "They thought we were with Gideon."

"We're Sokovians who are trying to protect our land," one of the men tells them.

"Gideon Mace's army hasn't come this close to the border," one of the older men claims, "But we have been ready for them ever since they arrived."

"We don't blame you for being skiddish," Colleen tells them, "I'm sure you've been through hell."

"My son was in the army and fought against them," a woman cries out, "I'm not sure if he's alive or dead."

"Don't worry," Cage tells them, "We'll take Gideon Mace down and hopefully, you'll be reunited with your son."

"Don't you get it?," the older man scolds him, "First the Avengers came with their powers and weapons. They destroyed a city and left. Then came Gideon who also had powers and weapons. Now here you are. Sure, you claim to fight against Gideon and that may be so, but yu are just like them. Powerful. Almost godlike. But you are reckless."

"I assure you, we're the good guys," he tells them.

"We don't see good guys or bad. We only see threats. We would rather you leave our country all together. If you can't do that much, then at least leave our village."

"I understand completely," Misty tells them, "You have every right to be afraid of people like us. To tell you the truth, I'm a little afraid of myself at times. We have powers and abilities that maybe we were never meant to have. Because of the recklessness of people like us, innocent lives have been lost. I get it. We'll be on our way."

Misty turns and leaves. The rest of the team seem perplexed but gradually follow her. The rest of the villagers watch with indignation as they leave their town.

They leave the village and trek through a small forest. Soon, they enter a wide field. As the sun sets, they pass a farm house in the distance. Soon, it's night and they clear a hill. There, they see another small village in the distance. Paladin puts his helmet in place and lowers the goggles, which supplies a telescoptic view. He zooms in, then switches to night vision and spots a few armed guards standing watch just outside the town.

"I see two guards," he tells them, "Matching uniforms and they aren't Sokovian military."

"Must be Gideon's men," Danny explains, "Looks like we reached an outpost."

The two guards stand out in the field, facing away from a fence, which leads to the village. A nearby bush rustles, gaining their attention. They turn their attention to the sound and raise their rifles, only for Misty and Danny to rise behind them. There are two blows to the back of their heads and the guards are out. Inside the village, more guards stand watch along the street and there is one parked jeep with a search light. One head soldier checks his watch and then raises a megaphone.

"Attention everyone," he begins, "It is now curfew. Anyone who is still on the streets will be -"

He doesn't finish his sentence before Colleen drops down with a kick to the back of his head. The guards turn and raise their weapons. Paladin leaps out of an alley between two buildings just as they open fire. The bullets bounce off his armor as he raises twin guns and opens fire, dropping both of them. Luke rushes out next, slamming his fists into the side of the jeep, toppling it and shattering the search light. A guard on a rooftop takes aim from above, but Misty clamps down on the rifle and bends it in the grip of her enhanced arm, then backhands the soldier. Some of Gideon's men turn to flee, but Danny rolls along the ground, tripping both of them to the ground. He kicks one in the face while he's on the ground. The other begins to stand, but Paladin comes in with an armored punch that drops him. Back in the street, Cage palm-thrusts a soldier in the chest, sending him across the way while Colleen performs a roundhouse kick to take out the final man.

The villagers slowly and cautiously leave their doorsteps and come out onto the street. There, they see the Heroes For Hire standing over Gideon's men who are now tied up.

"We're the Heroes For Hire," Danny tells them, "We were sent here to liberate you."


	18. Chapter 18

The villagers eye the team nervously as they approach. "We're gonna need a place to stay for the night," Cage adds, "That cool with you?" The villagers look at one another. Finally, one of them speaks up, "I have a hotel you can stay at." The team nod in agreement. The older man motions for them to follow and they comply while the rest of the villagers watch them.

"I'm glad they're friendlier than the last town," Paladin sneers quietly.

"You know, they have a good reason to not like us very much," Misty retorts.

"They can hate us or love us, so long as I get a bed tonight."

Danny and Luke are led to an inn by the older man. "What will happen to the men we captured?," Danny asks him. He nods cryptically, "Leave that to us." Danny and Cage give an understanding nod and follow him inside. "Come to the house in the morning for breakfast," the old man begins to leave but then turns back, "We prefer if you made it quick. We don't want Gideon to find out you were here. God knows what he'd do to us."

Colleen stands on a rooftop, looking out into the night sky. Misty approaches her quietly, "Can't sleep?"

"Not really."

"I don't blame you."

"I might as well make the best of it and keep watch."

"Listen, I hope I didn't come on too strong back there on the boat."

"No. You want to avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage. It makes sense."

"Yeah, well, it's not just that. I guess I'm still trying to get used to these new powers. I can see why non-enhanced people might fear us. At any rate, I know what you're going through and I wanna help any way I can."

"Thanks."

"We'll get that cybernetic bitch who killed Shang Chi. Promise," she leads Colleen away, "Now let's get some sleep."

The next morning, Paladin steps out of the hotel, wiping his mouth, "It was nice of them to leave breakfast, but I figured they would at least hang around." He joins the rest of the team who sit outside at a table. The map is open and the team look over it. Danny points to an area, "There's a country road leading up to the research facility," he runs his fingers down the road to the complex, "Chances are, they have the place blocked off and heavily guarded," he points to the main highways, "Over here, we have the main passage ways that eventually lead up to the capital. This is where they have most of their men stationed."

"Me and Danny can hit that area and draw them out," Luke tells them, "That will give you guys a better chance of making it to the Research Center and shut it down."

Danny points to another small town between the areas, "We can regroup here tonight and hide out. Then take the capital in the morning."

"Let's do it," Misty nods.

In a larger Sokovian city, several trucks and men are stationed at a makeshift base. A pickup truck parks by a group of Gideon's men who are stationed outside a tent, which contains several crates of weapons and ammunition. One of the men takes the tarp off the bed of the truck and reveals smaller crates. They remove them from the truck and stack them up in the tent. One of the sargents takes a look inside the crates and sees ammunition clips, "More bullets?". One of the men staking the crates answers, "Experimental rounds from Dr. Lavell. Straight from the research center."

A figure in a hoodie approaches the base form another location. He walks up to a rack of missiles, stops, and lowers the hood, exposing Luke Cage's face. He checks to make sure no one is around, then raises a fist and strikes. The men in the tent jolt as a large explosion erupts from around the corner, spreading flames and smoke as the ground shudders. They soon scramble into action, getting their weapons ready.

The Iron Fist is ignited and Danny races through an alley, emerging as the chi energy around his fist glows even brighter. He strikes an armored jeep, causing it to spin around, which takes out some of the men in the area before it smashes into the jeep across the road. He push-kicks the first soldier in view and then throws his elbow into an approaching enemy. A soldier pulls a knife from his belt and slices through the air as Danny ducks, then deflects his strikes. Danny dips back away to avoid another and as the soldier follows through, he catches his wrist and bends his arm back. The soldier drops the knife behind his back and catches it with his free hand, then goes for a slash across Danny's stomach, but he leaps back and hits him with a palm-heel to finally take him down. In the distance, a line of soldiers rush out onto the street and take aim. Danny quickly tucks and rolls to avoid the hail of gun fire and pops back up next to a table containing boxes full of ammo. He kicks the edge of the table, sending a box into the air. While is arches overhead, Danny ignites the Iron Fist once and again and punches the box as it falls down, which causes the bullets to burst out in every direction. The men run for cover as bullets his the ground and the walls around them.

Cage races down the street in a different area, bullets bouncing off him as he runs headlong into a group of men and sends them into the air. He grabs a large crate full of grenades outside the tent and hurls it through the windshield of a truck, which soon explodes. A soldier loads Lavell's new ammo into an Andersen AM-15. He fires a shot, which explodes against Cage's shoulder, forcing him to twist around. Another shot explodes against his gut and sends him into a light pole, which bends in half. Some of the soldiers scramble to his location and hold their weapons at close range. "Ya'll make things too easy," he grabs one soldier by the ankle and rises, swinging the man around like a club to take out everyone in range, then lets go, sending the man over the tent.

Danny runs down the street and an explosion ruptures through the ground. A soldier with Lavell's new ammo fires again and the explosion erupts just behind Danny, sending him over a table of weapons. Danny rolls off and hops over the hood of a car. Another shot sends the car skidding across the road as Danny tumbles away. He then launches himself into the window of a convenience store and runs through the aisle just as another explosion kicks up debris and snack items. He runs through the back of the store into an office, then shoulder slams through the next door to come out onto the street on the other side of the block. Cage soon joins him.

"They have some advanced weapons," Danny warns.

"Y'think?," Cage scowls.

In another part of the city, a few men stand outside the tank. They soon get a call over their radio, "Two enemies have entered the central compound. Get that damn tank out here!". The men quickly get inside the tank and prepare to leave.

Cage and Danny run toward an empty, bombed out building as a few more explosions erupt around them. Danny kicks the door open and they rush inside. Once there, they see that it is an empty rec center with a basketball court and plenty of gym equipment. Cage lifts a weight machine and places it in front of the door. "That should hold them for a little while," he tells Danny, "The good news is, I think we got their attention."

A nondescript car drives down a dirt road. Paladin drives while Misty and Colleen sit in the backseat. They all wear civilian clothes over their costumes.

"Let's hope Luke and Danny draw enough men away from the research center," Misty says.

Paladin shrugs as he drives, "If not, at least we'll get our money's worth!"

"Is money all you care about?," Colleen snaps.

"If there's one thing I've learned, it's that it's a nasty world," Paladin tells her, "You might as well get yours before you die."

Colleen and Misty give each other a look as they continue to head for the research center.

In the capital, Garcia enters Gideon's office along with Ricadonna and Hardcore. "The Heroes For Hire are in the central compound," Garcia warns.

"Can our men hold them off?," Gideon asks.

"You know how powerful they are. If we know where they are now, it makes sense to hit them with everything we have."

"We have plenty of men to the West. Send a platoon of them in as reinforcements. Meanwhile, take Hardcore and a few men and head down there as soon as possible. We can pinch them in from two directions. No survivors."

"We're taking men out of the West?," Ricadonna speaks up, "The Research Center is out there. Lavell will be a sitting duck if we take too many people out of that location."

"Are you volunteering to be Lavell's bodyguard?," Gideon asks her.

"I guess I am."

"Then put those new enhancements to some good use."

"Let's have some fun," Ricadonna gives Garcia a kiss before leaving the room.

"That's a helluva woman," Hardcore tells him.

"You have no idea," Garcia leads him out.

Meanwhile, Gideon silently stares out the window at the troops stationed outside his building.


	19. Chapter 19

Two trucks leave the Research Center and head down the highway. The view can be seen from another angle through a set of binoculars; Paladin stands on a grassy hill and watches. Behind him, Colleen and Misty wait by their car. "Looks like some of their boys are leaving the facility," Paladin tells them, "I guess Danny and Luke have them rattled."

"We had better wait a few minutes before heading in," Colleen explains as she begins sharpening her sword, "Make sure their numbers are cut before we take the building."

"In the meantime, I'm suiting up," Paladin puts his helmet on.

Back at the central area, Danny and Cage squat in the middle of the rec center, waiting for enemies.

"Think they're calling in reinforcements?," Cage asks.

Danny nods, "Seems that way," he stops for a moment and turns to Cage, "Hey, have you given any thought to what you're gonna do after this?"

"Huh? I thought we were gonna regroup in the next village, then head to the capitol."

"No, I mean after this mission. When you retire."

"Oh, that. Not really. I guess I could go back to working for Dr. Burstein, or something. There's gotta be plenty of work out there for a guy with -."

"Wait!," Danny looks up to the ceiling as he senses something.

An explosion rips through the mortar and an entire beam is broken lose. Danny and Luke dart out of the way as several chunks of concrete, brick, and tiles fall from above along with a few lights and a beam. "Here we go," Cage stared up at the massive hole in the ceiling and soon, a group of armored men descended from the newly-formed hole on bungee cords. They wear black body armor, helmets, and the cords are connected to their chest harnesses, allowing them to quickly reach the ground floor.

One soldier unlocks the buckle from his chest harness, which releases his cord, then he raises his rifle. Cage acts first, slamming his fist into his face plate, which sends him into a few of his partners. With the cords still connected to them, they began to bounce into one another and spin around, tangling their cords together. Danny grabs one soldier from behind, pulls down on his cord, then lets go, bouncing both of them into the air. Danny unbuckles the soldier's chest harness, allowing him to drop to the ground while he holds on. The others began opening fire as Danny comes back to the ground, still holding on to the cord. He bounces off the ground and flips through the air, bringing his heel against the face plate of one of the soldiers. He then kicks off and lands with a kick to the soldier on the other side of the room. Meanwhile, Cage climbs up to a high window sill and jumps off as the soldiers below him try to untangle themselves from their knotted cords. He grabs the midsection of the knot and pinwheels, twisting them up even more before letting them go. The entire mess of soldiers spin around before swinging into the wall in one heap. Danny runs along the wall as bullets strike the bricks around him, then he kicks off with one hand still holding onto the cord. He somersaults into one soldier and lands behind the final enemy. Before the soldier can turn around, he quickly ties his cord around the gun barrel, then his neck. He lets go of the cord, which removes the gun and spins him into the air before releasing him and dropping him to the ground.

Behind them, foot soldiers enter the room through the various doorways. The front entrance is soon blasted in, removing the weight machine Cage had placed in front of it. Danny crouches low as he summons the Iron Fist, "Hold them off!". Without saying a word, Cage picks up the fallen beam, hefts it at chest level, then hurls it at the oncoming soldiers; they drop to the ground as the beam passes overhead. Danny's hand grows brighter as he summons more energy as Cage stands over him and allows the oncoming bullets to bounce off his chest and back. The soldiers race into the center of the room just as Danny raises his fist and brings it into the floor. The cracks splinter out in a spider-web and the shockwaves knock all the soldiers off their feet just before the floor gives way. Luke and Danny drop through the hole into the basement, along with a few unconscious soldiers.

"That was probably just the first wave," Cage explains, "We can't stay here much longer."

"There's a door over there," Danny points the way to a nearby stairwell.

A few moments later, they emerge from a backdoor in the rec center and stop almost instantly when they see a large object several yards away. "That a tank?," Cage asks dryly. Danny nods, "Yep." They both scatter in different directions just as the tank fires a shot that rips through the building. They both drop to the ground as an explosion erupts behind them.

On a dirt road, a lone soldier stands watch over a small wood barrier. He sits quietly by himself before perking up at the sound of an approaching engine. He barely has time to throw himself out of the way as the car bursts through the barrier. Paladin drives happily as Colleen and Misty are jostled in the backseat. "Slow down, they'll know we're coming," Misty shouts after him. Paladin's smile grows wider, "That's the idea. Don't forget to tuck and roll when you bail out." Misty and Colleen give each other a look. A second later, both of them drop out of either side of the car as it speeds off-road and toward the edge of a hill. It flies over the hill, clears the barbed-wire fence, and heads toward the glass-enclosed side wall of the Research Center. The few guards inside back away as the front of the car comes crashing through, sending glass everywhere before coming to a rest. The entire windshield flops onto the ground as Paladin rolls through and pops back up with a machine gun, then opens fire. Back on the road, Misty and Colleen stand up as they hear the gunshots in the distance.

"That guy is pure insanity," Misty states frankly.

"Come on before he gets killed," Colleen responds and they quickly race to the building.

Inside a factory area, an alarm goes off. Lavell looks up as the lights begin flashing red. His workers all stand at assembly lines which are filled with ammunition and armor. "I think we all know what that means," Lavell tells them. The workers quickly turn and run out of the factory. Lavell, however, goes in the opposite direction.

Paladin moves through a hallway with his rifle at his side. Armored soldier rush in through the opposite end and he opens fire for a second before the chamber makes an audible CLICK, which lets him know he's empty. "Here, catch," Paladin throws his rifle into the face of an oncoming guard. He flips his wrists and the tops of his gauntlets produce metal prods. Between the prods, a small spark emerges. Paladin brings the taser into the chest of the closest guard, rendering him unconscious. Then he backfists another and throws a right hook into a third. The final guard fires, but the bullets bounce off Paladin's armor as he quickly approaches. He puts both tasers on either side of the man's neck, which brings him down.

Colleen races into the ground floor of the building with her sword drawn. She comes in between two guards and in one swoop, slices both of their rifles in half before taking them out in a tornado kick. Another guard enters the area and raises his rifle, but Misty emerges from the side and punches the gun, smashing it completely in half before she backhands him hard enough to send him backflipping into the air. More guards appear and open fire. Both Colleen and Misty roll out of the way from the hail of bullets and take a crouching position before opening fire. Soon, all guards drop.

Paladin peaks over a banister above and calls down to them, "Hey, glad you two could finally make it."

"Does teamwork mean anything to you?," Misty calls out.

"Give me a lecture some other time. I found a warehouse area. I think that's where Dr. Lavell is hiding. Come on."

In another section of the facility, Lavell opens a display case. As the door slides open, it reveals his bio-electric suit. He smiles to himself.


	20. Chapter 20

Misty, Colleen, and Paladin enter the warehouse area. It is a large factory with machinery, conveyor belts, and work tables. They enter with guns drawn and silently move through the dark room, passing stockpiled ammunition and body armor. As they go, a gloved hand emerges from the shadows and when the fingers curl, streams of electricity dance between the nodes running up the back of the knuckles and across the palms. Lavell steps out of the darkness, wearing his bio-electric suit and places a hand between Misty's shoulder blades, releasing an electric bolt that senders her over a table with a scream. Colleen stops next to a conveyor belt and turns while taking aim. Lavell places a hand on the metal conveyor belt, sending an electric current through the metal, which leaps out and hits Colleen, knocking her to the ground. Paladin is immediately behind Lavell and puts him in an arm bar.

"Don't move!," Paladin shouts.

"I don't have to," Lavell retorts.

An electric current runs through Lavell's bodysuit. Despite being struck with electricity, Paladin's armor seems unaffected as its insulation absorbs the currents. A look of realization crosses Lavell's face, "Crap." Paladin smiles, "Yeah," then he turns and throws Lavell against some machinery, stunning him. Misty and Colleen pick themselves off the floor. "You ladies okay?," he asks. Colleen nods, "I'm fine." With this brief distraction, Lavell gets up and flees the area. "Slippery little eel, isn't he?," Misty says as they give chase. Lavell runs through a door and slams it shut. If it was locked, it wouldn't have mattered as Colleen kicks it open soon enough.

They enter a storage area filled with metal shelves and completed products; again, they are made to search the dark area for their prey. Their search doesn't last long, however, as the door at the other end of the room opens, shedding light inside. For a moment the team is blinded until their eyes adjust and a figure enters. Ricadonna steps forward with an arrogant smile. Colleen holsters her gun and pulls her sword; wasting no time, she leaps forward with a downward swipe.

The blade stops just inches from Ricadonna's face and her smile widens. Misty and Paladin stare in disbelief for a few moments. Colleen glares as she tries to pull her sword free, but Ricadonna has both hands wrapped around her blade. There is no sign of discomfort or even blood despite the fact she she is holding onto the sharp end of a katanna with a firm grip. "I know that look," Ricadonna tells her, "Did I kill someone you cared about?" She brings her foot up, kicking Colleen in the stomach hard enough to send her into the air where she flops down, face first.

Misty and Paladin come in next. Paladin uses his gauntlet's tasers and places one against her neck. She grits her teeth, then lunges forward, taking him down with a punch to the gut and a headbutt. Misty uses her enhanced arm to strike her across the face, sending her reeling. She advances, but a black glove reaches out and grabs her shoulder; an electric bolt runs through her body and she quickly collapses. Lavell emerges from around a shelf with a sure smile as they make their way out the door.

"What took you so long?," Lavell asks as they quickly race to a car.

"I love dramatic entrances," she says as they get in.

Inside, Misty helps Colleen to her feet. "I'm fine," Colleen angrily pushes her away and storms off. Paladin sits up next. He takes off his helmet and examines it.

The tank rolls down a debris-littered street, stops and its canon turns to face Danny. "You gotta be kidding me," he groans and quickly runs down the sidewalk as the car and the wall behind him explodes. Cage hops onto an overturned jeep and leaps high into the air, eventually dropping down on top of the tank. He rips the top hatch clean off, then reaches inside. He throws one of the men out of the tank and soon reaches the second who is likewise tossed into the air. Danny returns with a container of grenades. "Think these should do the trick?," he asks as he hands him the box. "Gotta make it count," Luke takes the box and flips it over, spilling all of them inside, then they both take off.

Garcia and Hardcore walk down a different street, surveying the destruction around them as another platoon follows them. "Look at this mess," Garcia now wears a white tank-top with Lavell's harness over it. It is now lit up and ready for action. Hardcore likewise wears the gauntlets he acquired from Lavell's lab. "So where the hell are they?," Hardcore asks. As an answer to that question, they hear an explosion in the distance and look up to see smoke rising above a small building. "That's a good place to start," Hardcore sneers and they quickly run to that location with their men following.

Danny and Cage take a look at the destroyed tank; it's now burnt-out and a pillar of smoke escapes it. "Probably our finest work," Cage jokes. Danny shrugs, "It's presentable." They turn as they hear the sound of people approaching just as Hardcore and Garcia round the corner with their men. Garcia takes aim first with his harness. A dart is fired from his wrist- launcher. It flies toward Danny who sways back to avoid it, but as it passes, it explodes and peels of electricity erupt from it, which clings to his back and pulls him along. Danny is yanked off his feet and lands a few feet away, groaning. Cage storms the new threat as their men open fire. The bullets bounce off him, but Hardcore steps forward.

Hardcore ducks under Cage's first punch and strikes him twice in the ribs, then across the chin. The metal gauntlets protect his hands, but it barely moves Cage who takes another swing. Hardcore ducks again and uses capoeira moves to somersault away from him. Garcia fires another shot that explodes against Cage and the electric burst sends him through the door of a nearby apartment building. Danny flies over a destroyed jeep and kicks Garcia to the ground. Hardcore responds by giving him a kick of his own, which throws him onto his back. Danny rolls onto the balls of his feet, but their men open fire again. Danny is forced to perform backward flips away from the gunfire and eventually ducks into an alley. Cage comes back from the apartment building and goes after Hardcore once again, but Hardcore ducks around his punch. He unleashes the claws from his gauntlets and rakes Cage across the face, sending sparks. Cage steps back but otherwise is fine. Meanwhile, Hardcore takes a look at his gauntlets to see that his blades have been filed down to useless stubs. "Seriously try'n to scratch a brotha?," he slams his palm against Hardcore's chest, sending him across the street. The platoon of men roll a set of grenades his way as Garcia retreats behind them and he has little time to react. The explosion sends him through a wall. Danny tries to come back from the alley, but soon finds a grenade tossed at his feet as well. He retreats in the opposite direction and a moment later, another explosion blasts out of the alley.

The men help both Garcia and Hardcore to their feet. "I think a strategic retreat is needed," Garcia says. "I think a nuclear bomb is needed," Hardcore responds. They quickly leave with their platoon. Cage emerges from the hole in the wall and lets them go, choosing to find Danny instead. When he enters the alley, he finds it covered in burning debris. "Up here," he hears a voice say from above. Cage looks up to find Danny holding himself up by doing the splits between the walls of the alley. He drops next to Cage and catches his breath.

"I think they took off."

"We've had a long day. I say we let `em take a walk," Cage tells him, "We were just here for a distraction any way."

"Hopefully, the others had better luck."

"One way or another, it just got real."


	21. Chapter 21

A jeep roars down a dirt road as the Sun sets. Paladin drives with Colleen and Misty in the back.

"You just had to bust our only car," Misty sneers.

"Look on the bright side," Paladin chuckles, "This thing is all-terrain. We should be at the rendezvous spot in no time."

"You ever stop to think about your decisions before you act?"

"Nope. Never."

"Let's just get there as soon as possible," Colleen grunts angrily as she stares out the window.

"Shit!," Paladin slams on the breaks.

A pickup truck pulls up horizontally across the road. A few men jump out of the bed of the truck, armed with rifles. Behind the jeep, more men come out of the bushes and onto the road, likewise armed with rifles. Inside the jeep, the three of them give each other concerned looks.

It's night by the time Gideon's team makes it back to the capital. Gideon stands with his fingertips on the desk as he hunches over after having listened to his teammates' accounts. Lavell, Ricadonna, Garcia, and Hardcore all stand facing him as he begins, "So, in a situation like this, there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that our tank is gone, many of our men are lost, and the Research Center was taken." He paces around the desk and begins to smile a bit, "The good news is that we're still in control of the land, we now know what we're dealing with and, we have an idea of where they're going."

"That's a great pep talk, Mace," Ricadonna begins, "I'm sure it works wonders for your sheep, but I'm gonna go ahead and live in reality. We don't have access to most of our major weapons anymore and those people could be anywhere."

"Always helpful, Cecilia, thanks," Gideon grumbles and moves toward the large map of Sokovia on the wall, "We do have an idea of where they'll be. Obviously, they are heading in this direction. We know they hit the central compound and the Research Center, so it makes sense for them to meet up here," Gideon points to the village between the locations, "Unless they want to wander out in the woods or mountains and risk not finding each other. They likely travel light have few supplies, so this meetup spot makes the most logical sense."

"Do you think we should scout that location before attacking?," Garcia asks.

"We can do both at the same time," Gideon says with an excited smile, "We got a damn fighter jet, don't we?"

Cage and Danny walk down a street and enter a smaller village and they are both exhausted. There are a few old men playing chess outside a shop and when they see the two, they quickly go inside and close the door. "It's about expected now," Cage says aloud. A pickup truck pulls up to them with men in the bed. Danny and Cage take fighting stances as the men hop out of the back and pull rifles. It's at this point, Danny takes a closer look and says, "You're not Gideon's men."

One of them lowers his rifle, "And neither are you. We met your friends earlier."

"Our friends?," Cage asks obtusely.

"Yes, two beautiful women and a man who never shuts up. You were supposed to meet them here, yes?"

"Sounds like them."

Come." He motions for them to follow as he gets back into the truck.

Minutes later, Danny and Cage are in a basement along with Misty, Colleen, and Paladin. They sit around the table with the map in the center as several men with rifles crowd around. "The few remaining military units and law enforcement officers retreated to the woods and the mountains to regroup," Colleen explains, "We met them on the way to the rendezvous point."

"You people were making a lot of noise, so we set out to find you" one of the Sokovian men tells them, "We decided we need all the help we can get."

"The feeling's mutual," Danny tells them and points to the map, "The idea is to rest here for the night, then move out tomorrow, making a b-line straight for the capital."

"Gideon Mace will see you coming from almost every direction," one of the Sokovians informs him and then points to the mountains at the edge of the map, "There is a mountain pass we can show you. It's narrow, but will take you straight there. They will not see you coming."

"Sounds like a plan," Cage nods.

"I just hope these guys don't expect to be paid," Paladin whispers to Misty.

"Are you serious right now?," she scolds him.

Then comes the sound of an explosion and with that, the basement shakes, dust falls from the ceiling, and the lights flicker. Everyone gains their barrings quickly and race upstairs. They emerge from a pub and race outside to see the building across the street on fire. People scatter around the street as the sound of heavy artillery rains from the sky and cuts two swathes down the length of the street, forcing them to shrink back for cover. "Sounds like a jet," Paladin exclaims.

High above, the jet circles back and returns to the village. "He's making another pass," Misty shouts and they all head for cover. A missile flies from the jet and hits a building, causing a huge explosion. The last missile is fired and hits another part of the village before the jet disappears. The Heroes for Hire scramble to their feet. Several buildings are on fire. Civilians scream and race through the streets. What's left of the Sokovian army rush them away to safety while others shout orders to put out the fires. Everything seems to be happening in slow motion.

Paladin stares in disbelief as the heroes race into action. Misty and Colleen pick up small children and carry them to safety. Danny races to a fire hydrant, summons the Iron Fist, and breaks it, releasing a jetstream of water into a fire. Cage meanwhile, races toward a small one-story house, which begins to crumble and collapse. Inside, a family tries to flee, but several boards and chunks of the roof fall in their path. Cage stands in the doorway and braces himself, keeping it up momentarily as he kicks the debris free, then shouts for them to leave. He's strong but not strong enough to hold it up forever. The family inside race out into the street and once everyone is gone, he drops his hands from the doorway and the roof caves in. He falls to his knees in exhaustion as the family race to safety. No one stays behind to thank him. Paladin, meanwhile, continues to stare, wracked by guilt.


	22. Chapter 22

It's morning. The fires are out but smoke is still rising to the sky. Paladin enters a hospital, still bewildered by the attack the previous night. Danny sits in the emergency room with a line of injured people coming to him. He sits on a stool and summons the Iron Fist while a little girl in front of him bows forward, displaying her bandaged head. Danny lays the Iron Fist on her wound and concentrates for a few moments until the glow in his hand dies down. The girl happily removes the bloody bandage and feels her smooth forehead which no longer has any wounds. The next person steps up: an old man with his arm in a sling. Danny summons the Iron Fist again and places it on the man's arm.

"Isn't that your special move or whatever?," Paladin asks as he approaches, "I thought it mostly just blew stuff up."

"The Iron Fist has the ability to heal as well," Danny releases the old man and he carefully removes the sling from his now-healed arm.

"Huh. Never occurred to me. I guess I just focused on how much destruction it could cause."

Danny summons the Iron Fist for the next person in line, but his fist only glimmers slightly before he looses his balance on the stool and nearly falls off it. Paladin and the people in line help Danny regain his balance as he sways. "What's wrong?," Paladin asks with concern. "If I use it ... too much in a short amount of time... it takes a lot out of me," Danny gasps as he catches his breath, "... I'll be fine... I just have to meditate a little... get my strength back up."

"Well, take it easy," Paladin says, "I'm gonna go see if the others need help."

Outside, Colleen and Misty pick up debris and throw it in the back of a truck along with several other Sokovians.

"We should have seen this coming," Misty says.

"We had no way of knowing Gideon was going to pull off an attack like this.," Colleen assures her.

"We knew they had a fighter jet. Remember when you, Jessica, and Paladin came here the first time? That jet was flying alongside you. We should have done something."

"Like what? None of us can fly."

"No, but we could have chosen a different location to hide out in. These people have lost their homes and it's all out fault."

"Once we take out Gideon and his people, I'm sure Danny can arrange for this village to be rebuilt."

"It's not just that. You know I wanted to make a difference here. I wanted to do what others couldn't do and yet, here we are with another destroyed town. That's it, I'm done!"

"What do you mean you're done?"

"This whole superhero thing. It doesn't work. It's not meant to be."

"I think you might want to talk to Danny before making any definite decisions. He's more gung-ho about the 'superhero thing' these days than he's ever been."

"I know... I'll talk to him,... but I really think we made a mistake coming here."

"Shang-Chi didn't think so," Colleen tells her solemnly.

"And he died."

"And because he died, I'm carrying on his mission."

"Are you? Or are you just in it for revenge?"

"I admit, it's both, but one way or another, I'm here and I'm gonna see this through to the end."

"She's right," Paladin says as he walks up to them, "We gotta see this through."

"What do you care?," Misty snaps.

"Okay, I'll confess to being a greedy asshole who was in it for the money," Paladin tells them sincerely, "but I'm looking around at the sacrifices you people make and I want that. I want to be like that. I may not always show it, but there's a part of me that honestly cares. That part of me has been buried for a long time, but I want to prove that it's still there. I want to be able to make that sacrifice. You can leave if you want, but I'm in this thing, no matter what."

Colleen is taken back, "That was unexpected," she turns to Misty, "What do you say? You want him to be the most optimistic person here?"

Misty picks up a chunk of debris and hands it over to him, "If you're being honest about all the shit you just said, help us clean up."

"Sure," he smiles and takes the debris.

Gideon makes his way down a corridor of the capital building. Garcia soon emerges from a doorway and walks alongside him.

"Tell me something good," Gideon starts off, never breaking stride.

"Our pilot smoked them out. They were in the village like you said."

"I love it when a plan comes together. Are they still there?"

"It seems like it. They're likely staying behind to help the citizens."

"Good. I want every man in that region by tomorrow morning."

"Every man?"

"That's right. For the time being, they should abandon all outposts and compounds. I want all forces to zero in on that location to make damn sure they're good and dead. Ricadonna can go with them for added power."

"What about our men here at the capital?"

"Why do I get the feeling you can't hear me this morning, Ramon?"

"Sorry, I'm just surprised is all."

Gideon stops, "You, me, the scientist, and Hardcore will be geared up and waiting for them here in case any of their people get past and make their way to this location. I'm not taking any chances. They'll all be dead in 24 hours or we will be."


	23. Chapter 23

A jackhammer tears into asphalt. Several construction crews dig into the main highway leading into the town. Luke Cage raises both fists over his head and brings them down, which shatters much of the road. He then begins to heft chunks of granite over his head and toss them off the road. Danny shows up as he takes out another large chunk.

"How's the road block going?," Danny asks.

"We should be finished soon," Cage tells him, "If Gideon sends his men this way, they'll have to get out and go on foot."

"It's a good plan."

"I thought so. What about our guys?"

"The police and the military will take cover in the buildings and have orders to shoot anything that comes down the streets."

"Do they have enough weapons?"

"They have enough. If they run out of ammo, they can take some off fallen enemies."

"What about the south road?"

"They have that covered."

There is a dirt and gravel road leading up to the rear of the village. The Sokovians have already dug a deep trench along the road and wait patiently as a mixing truck backs up by the truck. A flood of water mixed with chunks of dirt and some gravel pours out and fills the trench. Soon, the dirt road has a giant mud pit inside of it that isn't visible unless someone looks closely.

"And evacuations?," Cage asks.

"Paladin and the girls are helping out with that," Danny answers.

"Paladin? He grew a conscience?"

"Seems that way."

Misty and Colleen help an old couple move their luggage down a street. Several other Sokovians follow, mostly the elderly and children. They all head to a school where they make their way into the gym where Paladin hands everyone bottles of water. A little girl in a red dress follows her teenage brother and their mother who carries a baby. "Where's Otto?," the little girl asks, but her family is too preoccupied to answer. "Otto, come here, boy," the girl in the red dress calls out as she looks along the ground. As she continues to look, she eventually ventures away from the group. A few moments later, the mother turns and makes the realization, "Where's you sister?," she asks the teenage boy.

He looks around frantically, "I don't see her... or the dog. She must've gone off looking for him."

"Go get her, quickly!," she tells him.

"I'll be back soon, don't worry," he tells his mother before running away.

Later, one of the Sokovian military officers shows the map to Luke and Danny. More police officers and soldiers stand behind them. "There is an old mountain pass through here that will lead straight to the capital," he tells them, "You should be able to bypass Gideon's men and make your way to them." Luke nods, "Let's just hope that Gideon doesn't know about the pass."

Outside, Sokovians hand out rifles and pistols to those who have chosen to fight. They line up, gather their weapons, then load them. Not long after that, they enter the now empty buildings and take position by the windows and doors.

Luke drives an SUV up to a curb where Danny is waiting with Misty alongside him. He turns and kisses Misty.

"When we get back, we're gonna have to talk about this whole hero business," she tells him.

"I understand," he kisses her again and goes to the SUV with Luke.

Meanwhile, a line of trucks and jeeps make their way down a highway to the small village. Ricadonna is in the first vehicle and silently smiles to herself. Gideon watches the line leave the capital. Garcia approaches behind him, "We're ready." Gideon says nothing, but simply turns and follows Garcia out of the room.

A line of jeeps and trucks stop in front of the large crater where a highway used to run. Ricadonna steps out of the lead truck and examines the hole in the road, then radios ahead, "They blocked off the main road. I want the rear platoon to go around through the back road." Some of the jeeps and trucks at the back of the line back up and drive in the opposite direction. She motions to the remaining men, "Okay, everyone! Out of the trucks! We're going on foot!"

A hill overlooks the capital. Danny and Cage walk to the edge of the hill and gaze at the tall building ahead.

"Are you sure you wanna give this up?," Danny asks Cage.

"It's a good time to take a break."

"Suit yourself."

"You know, I didn't wanna say anything, but I'm not sure Misty is as excited bout this superhero stuff as you are."

"I got that sense too."

"You think this might be the end of the Iron Fist as well?"

"I honestly can't give it up. I know that, even if I retire, trouble will find me. It always does. It's better to do this on my own terms."

"So where does that leave you and Misty?"

"I don't know, but hopefully there's a future," Danny heads down the hill with Cage following.


	24. Chapter 24

Ricadonna leads her group into the streets of the small village and they start passing between buildings. It's quiet. No one is in the streets, but they remain vigilant, not that it matters as a single shot rings out and one of their men drops dead. They immediately stop and raise their guns to the sky and search frantically for any signs of the enemy. A single rifle barrel pops out of a window above and fires another round. Inside a building across the way, more Sokovians prop their guns up in the windows and open fire. "Movie!," Ricadonna shouts as she leads the men down the street. More and more gunshots explode from the windows above and more men drop as they run for cover. some of them manage to duck into nearby alleys or behind cars. A few of the men return fire, blasting out some of the windows where they manage to hit a Sokovian. Ricadonna breaks from the platoon as she races for cover, "Damn". She hops onto the trunk of a car and flips over it to get to a doorway. A Sokovian comes out and takes aim with a 9mm pistol, but she forces his wrist back, making him discharge a bullet off to the side before backhanding him against the wall.

Misty and Colleen race down an alley and take cover on either side before checking to make sure it's clear. "Gideon's men are scattered," Colleen explains. Just then, some of Gideon's men race down the side street to their location. Misty dips around the corner and close lines the first soldier with her enhanced arm. Colleen comes out and slices a rifle in half before giving the soldier a cross kick. Misty grabs another by his jacket and flips him over onto the ground and takes him out with a palm-heel. Colleen slams the hilt of her sword into the bridge of the nose of one soldier, stunning him, then she pistol whips him. More of Gideon's men show up and open fire. Both Misty and Colleen dive behind a car and return fire from crouched positions.

The remaining soldiers enter the village from the south road. They drive their trucks down the dirt road, only to have the front ends of the first vehicles fall into the mud pit. The jeep in the rear comes to a dead stop to avoid hitting the stalled trucks. The men hop out and land knee deep in the mud and water while others climb out the back of the vehicles. Paladin approaches them with a cocky grin on his face. He spits and opens the palms of his hands, releasing twin 22 caliber pistols from his gauntlet chambers, then opens fire, sending a few of them men into the mud. The men behind the trucks open the back of their jeep and remove a metal crate while keeping their heads down to avoid the gunfire. "Go! Go!," one of them shouts as they hurriedly carry the crate behind a building as Paladin continues to take out more men.

Cage and Danny slowly enter the capital building. The empty hallway leads to an equally empty main lobby. "Where is everyone?," Danny asks. Once they are inside the room, they find a security desk, an x-ray machine, a metal detector and not much else. There are wide windows on either side of the room that lead to a gated area and an emergency fire hose on the wall. As they move toward the desk, Lavell emerges from behind the x-ray machine, now wearing his suit. He creeps up behind the two as they make their way to the door; waves of electric energy travels along the knuckles of his gauntlet as he charges it up before striking. Danny senses the threat just in time to pivot around. He avoids being shocked but Luke gets hit in the back and an electric bolt throws him forward. Danny delivers a palm thrust against Lavell's chest and while it knocks Lavell on his back, the electric shock sends Danny across the room. Lavell stands up in time to see Cage bolting forward. He charges his entire suit with electricity, but that doesn't stop Cage from grabbing him by suit's chest piece and hefting him into the air. Cage grunts in pain, but he manages to hold on, but this gives Lavell the opportunity to touch the metal x-ray machine, which creates a larger electric shock as he uses the metal as a conductor. Luke is blasted into a nearby wall and Lavell quickly makes his way to Danny who is picking himself off the floor. Danny dodges the electric-charged punches being hurled his way and backs away to the security desk, then rolls on top of it. Lavell brings his hand down just as Danny flips over his head. The desk is blasted in half in the process. When Lavell spins around, he is mesmerized by the glowing chi energy now surrounding Danny's fist. Danny doesn't strike, however, but he brings his hand against Lavell's chest, drawing electric currents into the Iron Fist. He pulls his fist back, absorbing tendrils of electricity in the process before flinging his hand off to the side. A small explosion rips through the x-ray machine and metal detectors across the room and the small explosion throws Lavell near a window. Danny, meanwhile, stands over him as energy fades from his fist. "Step aside, Danny," Cage calls out. Danny turns and sees that Cage now has the emergency fire hose. Danny somersaults away as Lavell stands back up. Once he sees the hose, he raises his hands defensively, "Wait! Stop!". Cage lets lose a burst of water, which hits Lavell's chest. The suit shorts out and sends him through the window behind him. He's dropped into the gated area, wet and unconscious; what little energy is left in his suit shorts out.

"One down," Cage says as they move to the next area.


	25. Chapter 25

Misty runs up to one of Gideon's men and takes him down with a flying kick, then she grabs his discarded rifle and tosses it into the air. Colleen rushes up behind her, catches the rifle, and then opens fire at the men across the street. They are flung through a nearby shop window as Colleen finishes them off. All is quiet for a moment, which means they both notice the figure striding toward them.

Ricadonna walks confidently down the sidewalk, a cocky grin spreading across her face as smoke blows past her. Colleen raises the rifle in her hands and opens fire, only for Ricadonna to dart into a nearby building for cover. With the rifle clicking empty a second later, Colleen tosses it aside and pulls her sword. "We do this together, right?," Misty asks her. "Together," Colleen nods and they both rush into the building.

A man pulls a knife and charges Paladin. He blocks two strikes with his gauntlets, which releases a few sparks, then he punches the attacker hard enough to send him spinning into the air. Behind him, two men bring a large container to the center of the street and open it, revealing a chain gun and ammo, but he doesn't notice since another man passes between buildings, opening fire. The bullets bounce off Paladin's armor, but he grunts from the impact and crouches down. "Okay, you wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts," a compartment in his boot opens and a desert eagle slides out. Behind him, the two men quickly begin assembling the chain gun. Paladin barrel-rolls along the ground while firing, quickly hitting his enemy as he tries to make another pass. Once the man is down, he smiles and surveys the large number of defeated foes around him. It's at that time when he turns and notices the two men with a fully assembled chain gun. "Let's see your armor stand up to this, huh?," one of the men shouts as his partner gets ready to open fire. Paladin darts in the opposite direction as a large swathe of smoke is kicked up. The chain gun continues to go off as Paladin races to a nearby shack and throws himself through the door for cover.

He sits up, removes his helmet in the darkness, and begins to reload his gun but something catches his eye. He spins around, gun drawn and stops, his eyes widening. There, the girl in a red dress stands with her older brother. In her hands is a small dog. "What are you kids doing here?," he whispers. "We went back for my dog," she tells him apologetically. "Once the fighting started we had to hide," the older brother adds. He sighs in frustration.

Misty and Colleen slowly ascend a set of steps in a bombed-out building. Misty reaches the second story room first and slowly opens the door. A foot slams against the other side, knocking her to the ground along with the door. Colleen leaps and rolls along the ground before sitting up with her sword drawn. "I was hoping I would run into you again eventually," Ricadonna sneers and takes a swing. Colleen ducks and Misty swoops in with a kick to her stomach, which makes her stagger back. Colleen spins her sword around and comes forward with a downward swipe, which is blocked by Ricadonna's forearm. She responds with a a palm-thrust against her chest, sending her across the room. Misty rushes in next with a punch, but she blocks it with her arm, kicks the legs out from under Misty to bring her to the floor, then snatches her by the collar and hurls her across the room. Colleen tries to catch her but they both tumble over. Ricadonna checks her arm and sees a tear in her artificial flesh where Colleen's blade had been blocked. Metal is exposed under the cut, revealing she is more machine than expected. Filled with confidence, she strides toward the two women as they pick themselves up off the floor.

Across the village, Paladin peers outside the shack. The gunmen are still stationed on the street with their chain gun ready. "They'll be blasting this place apart in no time," he says aloud, then he turns to the kids. "Listen, we need to get you both out of here," he hands his helmet to the older brother, "I'll do what I can to protect you, but when I tell you to run, you both need to haul ass, are we clear?". The boy nods. Outside, the two gunmen reload the chain gun.

"Come on out," one of the gunmen stands up as the other takes aim, "At least you'll die a brave man. You don't want to go out as a coward do you?"

The door to the shack bursts open. "Get ready," he calls to his partner. The older brother runs out first, wearing Paladin's helmet. His little sister follows close behind, wearing his chest piece and gauntlets which are raised over her head. The dog follows them both across the street where they take cover in an alley. The two gunmen stare at them curiously but their attention is soon broken by a gunshot. The man at the chain gun falls over dead, leaving his partner standing. He turns and sees Paladin rushing out of the shack, wearing a sleeveless shirt and no armor from the waist up. The last man standing quickly pulls the firearm from his side holster as Paladin trains his gun on him. The older brother takes off the helmet and takes a peak out the alley just as he hears two gunshots.

Colleen swings her sword down, but Ricadonna pivots around it, giving Misty a kick to the stomach, which knocks her to the ground where she struggles to catch her breath. Colleen twirls the sword around, delivering several quick slashes, all of which, are blocked by Ricadonna's arms which acquire new metallic "scars" with each block. They move across the room, Colleen's sword strikes becoming more frantic as Ricadonna moves faster to block the attacks. Eventually, Colleen spins around and thrusts the sword, but Ricadonna catches the blade in her hand, inches away from her eye. She holds firmly onto the blade with one hand and snatches Colleen by the throat with her free hand. "Say hello to your boyfriend for me," she then turns and throws Colleen through the window behind her where she disappears.

"Colleen!," Misty shouts and springs into action. She launches herself into the air and brings her fist across Ricadonna's face with a superman-punch. With her opponent staggering back, Misty presses her attack, backhanding Ricadonna and following it up with an uppercut that lifts her off her feet. She falls on her back near the broken window behind her and struggles to get back up. Misty takes a step back, ready to deliver the final blow, only to see a familiar hand grab the windowsill behind Ricadonna. Colleen crawls back into the room through the window; she's cut form the broken glass but is otherwise fine. Ricadonna stands to her feet, groggy, but ready to fight again. Misty shouts and leaps forward with a double kick, which pushes her back. As she stumbles, Colleen thrusts her sword as she too lets out a primal scream. As Ricadonna falls, the sound of torn flesh and metal can be heard and her face goes blank. Colleen pulls her sword out her back and Ricadonna falls to her knees, now with a bloodless hole through her midsection. When she falls over dead, the exit wound in her back is equally bloodless.

Misty and Colleen sigh with relief and hold each other.


	26. Chapter 26

Danny and Cage open two large double doors and enter the capital building's press room. The chairs have all been removed so the room is open wide save for a single stage and a podium up front. Gideon, Hardcore, and Garcia wait patiently in the center of the room as Danny and Cage enter.

"Oh, there you guys are," Cage begins, "And you must be Gideon Mace. We were wondering when we'd find you."

"I now owe Luke here ten bucks," Danny adds, "I bet him that you ran away."

"Nice banter," Gideon groans, "Lame jokes and shallow words is what I've come to expect from corporate-sponsored heroes."

"The company's privately owned, actually," Danny informs him as he paces around.

"You're nothing more than mercenaries," Gideon responds.

"It's true, we were hired," Luke adds as he paces counter to Danny, "But we were hired by the people of this country to take you out because you decided to take over, so it's not a good idea for you to try to morally justify yourself. Just say'n."

"You don't even realize you're puppets. What happens when you liberate this country?"

"People go free?," Danny shrugs.

"They will only be as free as the establishment allows them. I've read up on the two of you. You've taken down corrupt businesses and military men. You've seen the darkness that lurks below the facade of this society, yet you you don't know how to fight it."

"Oh, we have an idea on how to fight it," Cage tells him.

"It just doesn't involve needless killings," Danny adds.

"A true revolution requires bloodshed."

"Afraid we're gonna have to agree to disagree on that," Cage says.

"But there might still be blood," Danny says as he charges forward.

Garcia fires a dart which hits Cage, blasting him out of the way as Danny leaps through the air with a flying knee to Gideon who stumbles back. Hardcore folds his kusarigama in half and whips it back and forth across Cage's face. It causes him to continue stumbling, but he doesn't fall. Instead, he stomps on the wood floor, raising the wooden beams, which throws Hardcore on his back. Garcia hits him with another dart, which finally blasts him to the ground.

Danny ducks under Gideon's punches and delivers a few strikes to his face, which forces him back. Gideon finally manages to block the kick to high kick, then rushes in with a punch to Danny's chest, which throws him across the room. Cage gets up, grabs Garcia by his harness and tosses him through the air on his way to Gideon.

Gideon raises his metallic fist and as he does so, his hand slides down, revealing a nozzle that releases a spray of mace into Cage's face as he gets near. Now blinded, Cage grunts and rubs his eyes. Gideon brings his metal hand down across his face with the sound of clanging metal, then grabs him and upper cuts him twice in the chest before slamming his knee into him. He finishes by throwing Cage onto the stage where he shatters the podium into splinters.

Danny gets up just as a chain wraps around his ankle. Hardcore yanks his feet out from under him, bringing him to the ground. Once there, he unwraps the chain and brings the blade down. Danny rolls out of the way as the blade of the kusarigama is embedded in the floor. Danny ignites the Iron Fist and strikes the blade, shattering it. A moment later, one of Garcia's darts drops down by his feet. He throws himself out of the way just as a burst of electricity explodes from the floor.

Gideon hops onto the stage as Cage rubs his eyes clear. He grabs him, but Cage, while momentarily blinded, feels for his wrist and flips him over onto his back. He stands, grasping Gideon by the ankle, then throws him against the wall hard enough to cave it in. Cage rubs the last bit of liquid from his eye just as Garcia approaches. He aims and fires a shot, but the dart bounces harmlessly off Cage's chest. For a moment, Cage is baffled. "Eighty percent," Garcia grumbles and takes aim again.

Danny rushes up again and kicks Garcia in the back, sending him rolling onto the stage. Hardcore tackles Danny and pushes him against the wall. There, he begins to throw punches. Danny dodges the punches as Hardcore puts hole sin the wall. Danny brings his palm against Hardcore's chin, putting some distance between the two. He then somersaults onto his hand and gives Hardcore a kick which knocks him to the ground. Gideon leaps off the stage, giving Cage a punch across the face. As Cage stumbles, Garcia shoots him in the back, which throws him forward.

Gideon then goes after Danny. Gideon throws several punches but Danny dips around them, pivots away, then brings his foot up into Gideon's gut, forcing him to double over a bit. He then leaps into a spin kick, knocking Gideon back. Meanwhile, Hardcore hops onto Cage's back and wraps his broken chain around his throat and tries to strangle him. Cage simply grabs him by his jacket and hurls him into Garcia who attempts to take aim before being thrown to the ground.

Gideon takes several rapid fire punches from Danny but his superior strength keeps him on his feet. He finally manages to blocks Danny's next punch with his forearm, then leans forward into a head butt, which knocks Danny down. Cage grabs him from behind and hefts him over his head, slamming him into the floor hard enough to shatter the wood underneath. With Gideon stunned, Garcia fires several rapid darts which explode around the two, sending them into the air in a whirlwind of blue tendrils of energy. Both come crashing to the ground and Garcia approaches.

"I'm not taking any chances this time," he growls and brings a butterlfy knife out of his pocket. He flicks it open and then throws it at Danny as he picks himself off the ground. Danny catches the knife and, in one motion, throws it back. The knife hits the cente rof his harness and several sparks fly out. "Merda," Garcia shouts as he notices his harness is now busted. Cage casually rises up beside him and slaps him across the head, rendering him unconscious. Hardcore flies through the air next, having recovered form Cage's attack. He twirls his broken chain over his head and brings it down toward Cage who raises his arm. The chain wraps itself around Cage's wrist and he pulls tightly, "All yours, Danny." Hardcore is yanked through the air and Danny vaults toward him with one arm out. He closelines Hardcore across the face and brings him back to the floor, slamming his head against the ground, rendering him unconscious as well.

"Helluva fight," Danny says as he stands back up.

"One of our best," Cage agrees.

Behind them, Gideon rises. "It will not end this way," he says to himself before twisting his metal hand around. It pops off completely along with the container of mace. Once it does, a long blade pops out of his forearm. He charges behind them, throwing himself into the air with the blade ready to plunge. Both Cage and Danny spin around. Danny ignites the Iron Fist. Cage tightens his fist. They both strike as one, hitting Gideon in the chest hard enough to send him flying through the air where he falls through the window on the other side.

Danny and Cage take a look at one another and go to the window. There, they look down and see Gideon's body a few stories below.


	27. Chapter 27

The Sokovians slowly exit the buildings and come out onto the street. A few of Gideon's men remain, but they are now squatting on the ground with their hands above their heads while other Sokovians hold them at gunpoint. On the other side of the village, Misty and Colleen come upon the sight of several dead men. Soon, they come across two more men laying dead beside a chain gun. Their expressions turn sad once they notice a little girl in a red dress along with her teenage brother and their dog. They hold Paladin's armor in their hands and stare at the ground, mournfully. At their feet, Paladin lays face-down in the street without his armor, a single bullethole through his torso.

A bunker door slowly opens and the Prime Minister steps out along with his men. He smiles and shakes Danny and Luke's hands.

Hogarth gets off the phone at the HQ, "Okay, I'll tell him. Thank you." He turns to Anton who sits on the other side of the table, "Looks like you're going home, sir." Anton smiles happily.

Garcia, Hardcore, and Lavell are being escorted by the military along with the remaining forces of Gideon. Soon, they are locked away in holding cells to await trial.

The people of Sokovia cheer as the Prime Minister parades down the street in a car. From a nearby rooftop, Misty, Colleen, Luke, and Danny watch.

"So we won," Colleen says.

"We didn't win," Misty tells her, "They won."

"Are we still doing this?," Danny asks her as he places an arm around her.

"You know... it can be rewarding," she tells him as she snuggles in.

"What about you?," Colleen asks Luke, "Still retiring?"

"At this point," he begins, "I have only one mission."

Months later, Jessica and Luke emerge from a church; he's in a tux and she is in a wedding gown. Danny is his best man and Misty is the bride's maid. Hogarth and Colleen clap as they leave the church. Once they are at the foot of the steps, she tosses the bouquet and it lands in Misty's arms. She and Danny exchange smiles. "Okay, everyone, get together," the wedding photographer tells them. The Heroes For Hire bunch together and the camera goes off. The picture shows Danny, Luke, Jessica, Colleen, and Misty happily smiling.

 **The Stinger**

Luke seems nervous as he looks at his watch, then he turns to Danny. Danny meets his gaze and his eyes shift over to Misty. Misty, likewise turns to Colleen who also appears focused and ready. A moment later, a door bursts open and the four heroes jump to their feet, ready for the next person who comes into the room.

"Mr, Cage," a doctor announces, "... It's a girl."

Seconds later, the four of them crowd into a hospital room where Jessica lays on a bed with a baby wrapped in a blanket. "I knew you could do it, baby," Cage kisses Jessica. "Isn't she beautiful?," she asks. The baby coos in her sleep.

"What's her name?," Misty asks.

"We're naming her Danielle," Cage tells her with a smile.

"Good choice," Danny says.

The five of them watch the baby as the doctor closes the door to give them some privacy.


End file.
